Press Release
2015-07-14
Susan G. Komen® Grants $2.3 Million to Help Breast Cancer Patients and Families
DALLAS (July 14, 2015) -- Tens of thousands of low-income and uninsured women and men nationwide will receive help paying for medical supplies, treatment and living expenses – and gain access to psychosocial support – through more than $2.3 million in grants announced today by Susan G. Komen®, the world’s largest breast cancer organization.
“This year’s grants provide some measure of relief to thousands of people facing breast cancer who often have to make intolerable choices such as paying the rent or paying for treatment,” said Komen President and CEO Dr. Judy Salerno. “These grants will make a difference, but we must do more to provide the real-time help that low-income, uninsured and medically underserved breast cancer patients and their families desperately need.”
Since its founding in 1982, Komen and its Affiliates have invested more than $1.8 billion to programs like these that help women, men and families facing breast cancer.
This year’s national grant recipients are:
CancerCare
CancerCare will receive more than $1.5 million in funding to provide direct financial assistance for treatment-related expenses such as: oral pain and anti-nausea medication; oral anti-cancer drugs; child care/elder care; transportation; lymphedema care and supplies; prostheses and wigs; and medical equipment. CancerCare programs serve low-income patients who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, reaching approximately 4,000 Americans last year alone. In addition, CancerCare operates Komen’s National Toll-Free Breast Care Helpline 1-877 GO KOMEN, funded by a generous grant from Walgreens. The Helpline offers breast cancer education, psychosocial support and information about resources callers need to cope with breast cancer issues. To date, Komen has invested more than $5.6 million into CancerCare programs.
Patient Advocate Foundation
The Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF) will receive $500,000 to provide treatment co-payments for under-insured patients who would otherwise be unable to afford lifesaving breast cancer therapies. Last year, PAF provided co-payment assistance to approximately 16,000 patients across the U.S. To date, Komen has invested more than $4.4 million into PAF programs.
Breastcancertrials.org
Breastcancertrials.org, a service that encourages individuals affected by breast cancer to consider clinical trials as a routine option for care, will receive $88,000 to improve its website, which empowers breast cancer patients to explore clinical trial opportunities and find the studies that are the right match for them. Enhancing the current website will bring a larger and more diverse audience to clinical trials, helping to ensure that information about clinical trials and progress in breast cancer therapies is accessible to all breast cancer patients. To date, Komen has awarded $126,000 in funding to breastcancertrials.org.
Conferences and Events that Provide Meaningful Support
More than $200,000 in funding will go to partner organizations in the breast cancer community, including the Young Survival Coalition (YSC), Metastatic Breast Cancer Network (MBCN), Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) and Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE), to support their patient-focused conferences and events. These programs enable women diagnosed with breast cancer and their loved ones to meet others that share similar experiences, learn from leading experts, and create a network that provides meaningful support and interaction. To date, Komen has awarded nearly $2 million in funding to support annual conferences and events.
About Susan G. Komen®
Susan G. Komen is the world’s largest breast cancer organization, funding more breast cancer research than any other nonprofit while providing real-time help to those facing the disease. Since its founding in 1982, Komen has funded more than $847 million in research and provided $1.8 billion in funding to screening, education, treatment and psychosocial support programs serving millions of people in more than 30 countries worldwide. Komen was founded by Nancy G. Brinker, who promised her sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would end the disease that claimed Suzy’s life. Visit komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN. Connect with us on social at ww5.komen.org/social.
Contact
Susan G. Komen
Joni Avery, 972-855-4382
press@komen.org