Affiliated Community Health Foundation, Willmar, MN. Project Title: Women’s Breast Cancer Awareness Outreach. Year 3 project will continue to increase breast cancer awareness regarding the importance of early detection of breast cancer. Community outreach and promotion activities will be conducted in the following eleven Minnesota counties: Big Stone, Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Lac Qui Parle, Lyon, Meeker, Pope, Redwood, Swift and Yellow Medicine. Women 40 and older are not aware that early detection is crucial to survivorship, therefore are not receiving yearly mammograms as recommended by federal and state health guidelines, will be the focus of this project. Possible reasons for oversight such as lack of health insurance, unmet insurance deductibles or simply not realizing the importance of mammography will be addressed. Grant Award $95,179.00
Angel Foundation, Bloomington, MN. Project Title: Financial Assistance Program. Funding will be used to provide emergency financial assistance for unmet non-medical needs (rent/mortgage, groceries, phone/utility payments, gas/bus vouchers to and from treatment) to qualifying breast cancer survivors in the 7-county metro area. In addition, the foundation’s free education and support through its Facing Cancer Together (FaCT) program focuses on strength-based, solution-focused needs of the entire family. There are special programs, including a 2-day Kids Kamp in August, for children 5 – 18 who have a parent or grandparent with cancer. Grant Award $100,000.00
Health & Education Association for Development (HEAD), St. Paul, MN. Project Title: Be Aware of Breast Lump. Funding will be used to increase breast cancer awareness and regular screening to medically underserved Somali women who live in Minnesota. A majority of Somali immigrant and refugee women over 40 years old are not literate in either English or their own language, and also are physically isolated and live in poverty. Generally speaking Somalis do not practice prevention methods and seek the help of health professionals only at the last minute or as the last resort. Familiarity with the American health care system is nonexistent and therefore their trust and comfort is compromised. Many in the community are unaware of low cost or free programs that are available to address various health concerns. Traditional diets and sedentary lifestyle may contribute to increased risk for chronic diseases, including breast cancer. Cultural and religious beliefs largely influence their health behaviors as they believe that “ALLAH or GOD is the only creator, who can prevent all known and unknown diseases.” HEAD proposes to implement Be Aware of Breast Lump “Ka Digtoonow Kurxinta Naaska,” project through education, referral, and outreach activities to influence deeply held cultural beliefs about health. Grant Award $60,900.00
Lake City Medical Center, Lake City, MN. Project Title: Project Pink. The medical center, in partnership with the American Cancer Society (ACS) and SAGE, is embarking on a new program initiative. Project Pink was developed to address critical needs identified during assessments conducted on woman’s health issues. Activities created in the comprehensive plan will 1) develop breast cancer awareness within their service area. 2) inform at-risk, underserved, minority and non-insured or underinsured breast cancer patients and 3) secure financial support to acquire advanced technological equipment crucial to the early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer. Funds will be specifically used to assist in the purchase of a mammography machine and to implement our May “Mother’s Day Mammography Special.” The medical center’s primary service area is communities in Goodhue and Wabasha counties. Grant Award $100,000.00
Melpomene Institute For Women’s Health, St. Paul, MN. Project Title: Survivor’s Training Video Package (3-year project). Phase One of a three-year collaboration to bring treatment support to underserved populations in Minnesota. An important study published in 2005 in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that regular physical activity after a breast cancer could improve the odds of long-term cancer survival by as much as 50%. The correlation has not been widely promoted or presented as after-care. Today, survivors are no more likely to engage in regular exercise than the general population. By 2013, the program proposes to increase the percentage of breast cancer survivors in Minnesota who regularly engage in physical activity by at least 10% according to established surveys. The Survivor’s Training Project will use DVD technology to demonstrate the relationship between breast cancer and exercise and the benefits it can bring to women’s lives. Expertly designed exercise programs will be delivered to breast cancer survivors, free of charge for use in their homes, thus overcoming financial and transportation barriers to getting regular physical activity. In Phase Two and Three of the project, Melpomene will design and distribute, at no cost, comparable DVDs to women of color that are culturally appropriate and in their own language. Grant Award $99,925.00
Minnesota International Health Volunteers, Minneapolis, MN. Project Title: Somali Women’s Breast Cancer Project. MIHV will embark on its fourth year of breast cancer outreach for Somali women in Minnesota. This project originated in St. Paul, using a home visit model to provide culturally appropriate breast health education via community health workers. The project then expanded to include two Somali neighborhoods in Minneapolis. It also incorporated a follow-up data mechanism measuring the long-term impact of home visits and the mammography rate among women served. The positive feedback received and the successes identified by the follow-up data have led to another important expansion. MIHV proposes to extend their outreach to towns and small cities around the state that have seen an influx of Somali residents. Many now moving to greater Minnesota are very recent arrivals to the United States, having little to no experience with the health care system or the English language. MIHV believes it is important to reach Somali women throughout the state, provide them with accurate breast health knowledge, and assist them in accessing services. The funds will be used to continue home visits in Minneapolis and St. Paul and to introduce a statewide outreach series. Grant Award $100,000.00
Open Arms of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN. Project Title: Nutritious Meals for Women with Breast Cancer, Dependent Children and Caregivers. Open Arms of Minnesota is the only nonprofit organization in the state that prepares and delivers free meals designed to meet the nutritional needs of individuals living with serious and life-threatening diseases. In 2005, Open Arms became one of the first nutrition service agencies in the U.S. to create a meal program to meet the specific needs of women who are undergoing treatment for breast cancer. The staff and Registered Dietitian developed a mild menu that avoids strong flavors and acidic foods, Nausea Care Packs that can help calm an upset stomach, and a weekly frozen meal delivery system that eliminates cooking smells from entering clients’ homes. These innovations have become models for nutrition organizations around the country. Open Arms will continue to enhance the quality and benefits of its nutrition program for women in treatment for breast cancer by incorporating organic foods into 19,800 meals that will be prepared and delivered to 120 breast cancer clients. By eliminating pesticides and artificial coloring from the foods they ingest, organic meals will be healthier, safer, and tastier and will help women with breast cancer feel better and recover more quickly. Open Arms also will provide meals for dependent children and caregivers, publish a new informational brochure on the breast cancer meal program, and add 15 additional volunteer shifts to assist with the preparation and delivery of meals. Grant Award $84,751.00
Southside Community Health Services, Inc., Minneapolis, MN. Project Title: Southside Breast Cancer Education, Awareness & Screening Program. SCH Breast Cancer Program is designed to reach the medically underserved, especially Women of Color, including lesbian women, in south Minneapolis’s nine poorest neighborhoods of Lyndale, Corcoran, Standish, Bryant, Central, Powderhorn, Whittier, Bankcroft and Phillips, and pockets of poverty in Stillwater/Washington County. The program will inform them as minority-status women, they are especially at-risk for poorer breast cancer outcomes and educate them as to the need for screening, early diagnosis and treatment. Further, through education geared towards proactive lifestyle changes, they can be empowered to make healthy choices and become their own advocates. This education will be accomplished through local media advertising, providing information at the myriad of community events and health fairs in which SCHS participates, point of contact literature at SCHS clinics, in-clinic education on breast self-examination techniques and nutrition education. SCHS will be the lead agency in a collaborative effort with African-American Family Services, and La Familia Guidance Center. The collaborative expects to provide breast cancer screening, breast health awareness education and breast self-examination technique training to 2,235 clients. Grant Award $100,000.00
Vietnamese Social Services of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN. Project Title: Southeast Asian Breast Cancer Outreach. Breast Cancer is the second most common type of cancer among Vietnamese American women, and there is increasing concern that breast cancer risks are rising as Vietnamese American women become more acculturated. But screening rates for Vietnamese American women continue to be low because of language, cultural, and economic barriers. Vietnamese Social Services has provided breast cancer education and screening access services for Vietnamese women in the Twin Cities for the past six years. More recently, the program expanded its outreach to other underserved groups: Vietnamese women in St. Cloud, and Chinese-Vietnamese and Karen women in the Twin Cities (the Karen are an ethnic minority in Myanmar.) The funds will be used to help sustain and build on their work with these new target groups. Goals for the next year are to: 1) increase awareness for at least 1,000 women from the target communities through an education and media campaign; and 2) secure screening for 110 Vietnamese women in St. Cloud, and Chinese-Vietnamese and Karen in the Twin Cities. Vietnamese Social Services has also begun providing breast cancer survivorship support for Vietnamese women, and wish to expand these services in 2008. Grant Award $50,000.00
YWCA of Duluth, Duluth, MN. Project Title: Breast Cancer Advocacy Project. The project will provide community outreach and advocacy to bring breast health services to medically underserved women, including women of color, lesbian women, and women who have no income and/or insurance. The project conducts community outreach to support regular mammography, clinical breast exam, monthly breast self-examination, and yearly reminders. The project works to strengthen partnerships with local medical providers and organizations that provide services to low-income and under/uninsured women to reduce barriers that keep women from getting breast cancer screening. Quarterly “Barrier Busting” meetings are held in collaboration with the Young Survivor Coalition and leaders from communities of color and lesbian organizations to address barriers in accessing regular breast health care with local providers. At these meetings, women share their stories about what keeps them from accessing services and they receive prevention resource information. In addition to this work in reducing barriers for women, advocacy is provided to women to assist them in navigating the system both in securing breast health care and in medical follow-up services if they are diagnosed with an abnormal result. Project serves the Duluth area, as well as the neighboring rural counties of Carlton, Lake and Cook. This region includes three Anishinabe Reservations. Grant Award $30,000.00
Minnesota Department of Health, SAGE Screening Program - The title of the program is Breast Cancer Screening Program. The program provides mammograms to medically underserved women in the state of Minnesota. Grant Award $328,474.00
Minnesota Department of Health, SAGE Screening Program - The program provides direct medical services for secondary breast cancer screening and basic treatment for underserved Minnesotans. Grant Award $600,000.00
Susan G. Komen for the Cure, National Headquarters - Annual payment for Medical Research. Total payment $587,830.00
TOTAL AWARDED $2,337,059.00