Laura Dreier Breast Center Receives $75,000 Komen Grant
Greater Phoenix Community Clinical Oncology Program
Receives Additional Komen Grant for Public Outreach
PHOENIX (March 21, 2003) – The Laura Dreier Breast Center at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center was recently awarded a third $75,000 grant by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The grant will be used to provide screening mammograms, follow-up diagnostic exams, and treatment for underserved women through the “Reaching Out: Laura Dreier Breast Health” program.
A second grant awarded to the Greater Phoenix Community Clinical Oncology Program (GPCCOP) will fund increased public outreach and awareness programs. These programs provide education counseling and self-examination training in an effort to help individuals recognize early warning signs and increased risks due to family history or contributing behaviors. The Komen Foundation grant will enable GPCCOP to increase available funds for underserved individuals requiring financial assistance in securing clinical research study participation.
Both the Laura Dreier Breast Center and GPCCOP were chosen from several other applicants for the one-year grants. “What’s nice about the Komen Foundation grant is that the proceeds come from the community through the Race for the Cure fundraiser. Through the grant we’re able to give back to the underserved women in our community who would otherwise go without breast health care,” said Bertha Lopez, bilingual outreach coordinator for the “Reaching Out: Laura Dreier Breast Health” program. Last year, the Komen Foundation raised $1 million in Phoenix and more than $400 million nationwide this past year with its Race for the Cure event.
The “Reaching Out: Laura Dreier Breast Health” program brings breast health education programs to women in the community through local churches, community organizations, health fairs and small group presentations. Through previous Komen Foundation grants, the Laura Dreier Breast Center has provided initial care to 754 people, including three men, and allowed continuing care for more than half those women. “Our goal is to provide service to 200 women from the local community who cannot afford basic breast health care, and to assist others with receiving continuing care,” Lopez added.
The Laura Dreier Breast Center at Good Samaritan allows women to greatly reduce the length of the breast disease diagnostic process and the gut-wrenching fears that may accompany it, regardless of diagnosis. The center, decidedly non-institutional in design, brings into a single location the latest technologies used to diagnose breast disease with careful attention to a patient’s needs and comfort during a difficult time.
If a secondary exam is needed, a diagnosis is available in a matter of days. That’s important because when cancer is found at an early stage, the chances of survival are greatly increased.
“The Laura Dreier Breast Center balances the latest diagnostic technologies for breast disease with the careful attention for a patient’s needs and comfort during a difficult time,” said Susan Abbey, the center’s supervisor. The center has a wide array of the latest technology, including breast ultrasound and diagnostic mammography. The center enhances good breast care by teaching self-exam techniques and the benefits of an annual screening mammography.
The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation has provided funding for basic, clinical and translational breast cancer research and for innovative projects in the areas of breast health education and breast cancer screening and treatment. Credited as a leading catalyst in the fight against breast cancer, the Komen Foundation runs one of the most innovative, responsive grant programs in breast cancer today with a focus on research projects with potential for high impact that may not be considered by other agencies.
GPCCOP works closely with physicians and hospitals in the Phoenix and Northern Arizona areas to provide appropriate cancer research protocols to meet individual needs. The highly trained staff of registered oncology nurses coordinates with physicians to provide the cancer patient with information, education and research guidelines. In addition, GPCCOP recruits individuals who may be at high risk of cancer to the oncology program’s wide variety of cancer prevention studies including a current study of the drugs Tamoxifen and Raloxifene (STAR), the most recent and important breast cancer prevention trial to be approved by the National Cancer Institute and the Food and Drug Administration.
GPCCOP is sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and a group of local hospitals including Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, John C. Lincoln Health Network, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Scottsdale Healthcare, and Thunderbird Samaritan Medical Center.
Visit the Good Samaritan website to learn more about the Laura Dreier Breast Center. For more information or to see if you are eligible for the “Reaching Out: Laura Dreier Breast Center Health” program please call Bertha Lopez at 602-239-3575.
If you are a woman over 40, it is recommended that you receive an annual screening mammogram. To schedule a screening mammogram at the Laura Dreier Breast Center, please call 602-230-CARE.
