St. Luke’s Health Care Foundation Receives $66,000 Grant from Susan G. Komen for the Cure
May 6, 2009
More uninsured area women will have access to cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment, thanks to recent funding by Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
St. Luke’s Health Care Foundation recently received a $66,105 grant for the Healthy Linn Care Network from Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s Des Moines Affiliate. This is the sixth consecutive year the foundation has received funding from the Komen Foundation, but this is the largest gift ever made.
According to Cindy Fiester, outreach coordinator for the Healthy Linn Care Network, the money will fund critical services – like mammography and breast ultrasound procedures, and community outreach conducted by part-time staff.
“Without this funding, a 23 year-old woman might not have received the care she needed when she detected a breast lump,” said Fiester. “She comes from a family with very high breast cancer incidence and without the financial resources to pay for cancer treatment, which may cost more than $100,000. Thanks to the outreach and healthcare services funded by Susan G. Komen, this young woman will be able to afford and access the treatment she needs.”
Fiester says that Healthy Linn Care Network also holds the local contract to administer the Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (BCCEDP). Together, she says the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and BCCEDP funding help ensure that eligible, uninsured local women are guaranteed access to screening, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
“Without the continued support of the Des Moines Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Healthy Linn Care Network would not be able to help the number of women they presently do, nor have adequate staffing,” Fiester added.
Susan G. Komen for the Cure was established in 1982 by Nancy Brinker to honor the memory of her sister, Susan G. Komen, who died from breast cancer at 36.
The Des Moines Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure raises funds to support the Komen Foundation mission of eradicating breast cancer as a life-threatening disease by empowering people, ensuring quality care for everyone and energizing science to find the cures.
Healthy Linn Care Network (HLCN) was founded in 1989 with the goal of building partnerships to improve the health and well being of citizens in Linn County. The mission of HLCN is to identify and address the community's health and well-being by creating a network based on collaboration, coordination and partnering to improve the overall health of Linn County.
MEDIA CONTACT: Sarah Corizzo, St. Luke’s Hospital, 319/369-8372 or 319/560-2385.
