Scripps Receives Komen Grants for Community Breast Cancer Services
San Diego– Scripps Cancer Center has received two grants totaling $80,000 from Susan G. Komen for the Cure, San Diego to help improve awareness and access to important breast cancer services in San Diego’s underserved communities.
A $50,000 grant will support Scripps Project, which provides free breast cancer diagnostic services for women in San Diego and Imperial counties. The program is geared toward women between ages 20 and 49 who do not qualify for state-funded services and men of any age. Services are provided at either Scripps Polster Breast Care Center at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, or the imaging center at Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista.
In the past year, 281 people participated in Scripps Project, 144 received diagnostic mammograms and 231 received breast ultrasounds.
Another grant, for $30,000, will support Scripps’ Women for Breast Cancer Prevention Program, which provides outreach, education and case management services to underserved Latina, Filipino and African-American populations in south and central San Diego. This program takes a culturally sensitive approach by recruiting and training local women as “patient navigators,” who interface with women in their natural social settings, ranging from churches to supermarkets. Patient navigators have multiple goals, such as inviting women to participate in educational sessions; guiding them through entitlement eligibility processes; and assisting with appointment scheduling for clinical exams and mammography services.
Since 2000, Scripps’ Women for Breast Cancer Prevention Program has provided more than 9,000 educational contacts per year and receives an average of 7,000 yearly mammogram referrals from community clinics.
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure, San Diego 2010 grant applications were reviewed by a panel of independent public health, breast cancer and community experts. Grants were awarded based on priority areas identified in an extensive community assessment taken by the organization.
With more than 300 affiliated physicians, Scripps Cancer Center is a nationally recognized leader in cancer care, providing comprehensive care at its four hospitals and various Scripps Clinic locations. In collaboration with The Scripps Research Institute, the Scripps Cancer Center seeks to provide the best possible treatment and cutting-edge research trials for patients by coordinating medical expertise in the areas of clinical cancer care, community outreach and clinical, translational and basic research. In 2008, Scripps Cancer Center earned network accreditation from the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer.
ABOUT SCRIPPS HEALTH
Founded in 1924 by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps, Scripps Health is a $2 billion nonprofit community health system based in San Diego, Calif. Scripps treats a half-million patients annually through the dedication of 2,750 affiliated physicians and 12,700 employees among its five acute-care hospital campuses, home health care services, and an ambulatory care network of clinics, physician offices and outpatient centers. Recognized as a leader in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, Scripps is also at the forefront of clinical research and graduate medical education. More information can be found at www.scripps.org.
Contact: Steve Carpowich
Phone: 858-678-7183