The Marshfield Clinic Central Wisconsin Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure Awards Marshfield Clinic Two Grants
CONTACT: Jake Miller, Media Relations Specialist, 715-387-5762, miller.jacob@marshfieldclinic.org,
Bob Mackle, Media Relations Manager, 715-387-5250, mackle.robert@marshfieldclinic.org
The Central Wisconsin Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure has awarded two grants to Marshfield Clinic and its research foundation to improve women’s access to breast cancer screening, provide education and support survivors.
The two grants, totaling more than $131,000, support the Clinic’s Wisconsin Rural Women’s Health Screening Project and the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation’s A Time to Heal program.
The Wisconsin Rural Women’s Health Screening Project is designed to increase access to mammography screening and follow-up appointments for low-income women who are not eligible for other programs in Marathon, Lincoln and Langlade counties. Marshfield Clinic will receive $116,380 for this project.
Nearly 690 cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in women living in those three counties from 2003 to 2007, according to data from the American Cancer Society. But that number likely is higher, because many women in these counties face economic barriers and lack health insurance that covers breast cancer screening.
The project will use a women’s health patient navigator to coordinate clinical breast cancer screening, follow-up services and financial resources for women who need the assistance. It will build upon the success of the Wisconsin Well Woman Demonstration Project, a partnership between Marshfield Clinic and the Wisconsin Well Woman Program.
“The goal is to detect breast cancer earlier in women and to decrease death rates in these largely rural counties,” said Rebecca Morris, a Marshfield Clinic social worker who will coordinate the project. “This program will help us not only improve access to mammograms, but also provides an opportunity to educate women on the importance of early detection.”
A Time to Heal, in its fourth year, is an innovative program that each year recruits 24 to 30 women who have completed treatment for breast cancer. The Komen grant funds much of the program, including through the most recent grant of $14,745.
“Research has shown that A Time to Heal gives women access to the tools they need to thrive after breast cancer,” said Mindy Gribble, WINGS Cancer Survivorship Program coordinator at Marshfield Clinic. “The support from the Central Wisconsin Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure has allowed us to provide this much-needed program to women throughout the region.”
The free program helps women decrease emotional distress and increase their hope, strength and resilience. The program also raises awareness of the need to continue to undergo screening and helps women better understand their health care.
The Central Wisconsin Affiliate of Susan G. Komen this year awarded more than $290,000 to organizations to help uninsured and underinsured women access breast cancer screening and education.
“To meet the needs we have discovered right here in our community, this year’s grant slates specifically address poor, rural and minority women. The programs aim to remove barriers and to increase opportunities for screening,” said Linda Grilley, grants chairwoman for the Central Wisconsin Affiliate. “It’s also gratifying to see our priority of building community partnerships begin to take hold as more organizations reach out to us for help in fighting breast cancer locally.”
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