RICHMOND HEIGHTS, MO — SSM Breast Care at SSM St. Mary’s Health Center received a grant from the St. Louis Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® for $78,501.24. The Komen St. Louis Affiliate grant will provide SSM St. Mary’s Empower and Engage Program with the funding to make it possible to provide direct breast health-care services for uninsured and underserved women in our community for breast cancer screening, diagnostics, treatment, education and essential support programs.
The economic slowdown has greatly expanded the number of underinsured and uninsured women in the metro St. Louis area that qualify for the Empower and Engage program. But of particular concern to Laura Foerster, who heads the Empower and Engage program, is to help screen and educate women of ethnic groups experiencing higher breast cancer mortality rates.
During 1999-2006, breast cancer incidence rates among white, Asian-American and Pacific-Islander women declined slightly, according to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Web site. However, the incidence of breast cancer among African-American, Hispanic/Latina and American-Indian/Alaskan-Native women remained mostly unchanged.
In the St. Louis region, there is a significant burden of breast cancer in the African-American community. According to the Missouri Cancer Registry, African-American women reported a mortality rate 53 percent higher than Caucasian women from 2003 to 2005 but have a lower incidence rate of breast cancer than Caucasian women. African-American women are also more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage¯when the cancer is less treatable and, as a result, are significantly more likely to die from breast cancer than Caucasian women.
In St. Louis City and County, African-American women are reported never having a mammogram at higher rates than Caucasian women, comprising 68.2 percent of the service-area breast cancer deaths.
Research indicates that besides receiving recommended mammography tests some disparities that would explain the difference in mortality rates between African-American and Caucasian women include access to care, stage at diagnosis and a difference in treatment received after diagnosis.
The Empower and Engage program at SSM Breast Care at St. Mary’s Health Center, located at the Medical Building at 1031 Bellevue Ave., uses the Affiliate grant funding to provide mammograms and breast care education for qualifying women, which includes those who are 40 or older with no insurance or insurance that doesn’t pay for mammograms, and never had a mammogram or haven’t had one in more than 13 months. Qualifying candidates should contact the Empower and Engage program, which reserves the third Wednesday of each month, to make reservations. However, immediate exceptions are made throughout the month for patients presenting with symptoms. To make an appointment or to find out about qualifications, call Laura Foerster, (314) 768-8697.
Please include the following in your calendar sections:
Empower and Engage
July 21
Aug. 18
Sept. 15
Oct. 20
Nov. 17
Dec. 15
Free mammograms, clincal breast exams and breast-care education are available for qualifying women at SSM Breast Care at St. Mary's Health Center, located in Medical Office Building 1031 on Bellevue Ave. To qualify, women must be 40 or older with no insurance or insurance that doesn’t pay for mammograms, and never had a mammogram or haven’t had one in more than 13 months. Appointments should be made in advance by contacting Laura Foerster at (314) 768-8697.
About SSM Breast Care
At SSM Breast Care, we combine the powerful resources and expertise across seven hospitals to offer the best possible care, from screening and diagnosis to treatment and follow-up support. Our multidisciplinary team includes breast fellowship trained surgeons, radiologists and breast health specialists, also known as nurse navigators, who utilize some of the most advanced technology options available such as digital mammography, breast ultrasound, breast MRI, and image-guided and stereotactic biopsy. SSM Breast Care locations include DePaul Health Center, St. Clare Health Center, St. Joseph Health Center, St. Joseph Health Center- Wentzville, St. Joseph Medical Park, St. Joseph Hospital West and St. Mary’s Health Center. Go to www.ssmhealth.com/breastcare for more information or call 314-SSM-DOCS (314-776-3627).
About SSM St. Mary’s
SSM St. Mary's Health Center is a two-time winner of the prestigious Premier Award for Quality. Centrally located in metro St. Louis, SSM St. Mary's is a contemporary, 525-bed hospital with distinctive capabilities in high-risk obstetrical services, fetal surgery, state-of-the-art heart surgery, a chest pain center, advanced stroke care, and the latest imaging and outpatient services. Also a teaching hospital, SSM St. Mary’s is the headquarters for St. Louis University School of Medicine's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and offers an accredited internal medicine program. SSM St. Mary’s more than 2,100 employees and 800 physicians are devoted to achieving the best care and best results for our patients.
About Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and the Komen St. Louis Affiliate
Susan G. Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest breast cancer organization, and the St. Louis Affiliate is one of 125 Affiliates on the front lines dedicated to ending breast cancer in their communities. Komen Affiliates fund innovative programs that help women and men overcome the cultural, social, educational and financial barriers to breast cancer screening and treatment.
Through events like the Komen St. Louis Race for the Cure, the St. Louis Affiliate has invested more than $13 million in community breast cancer programs in 17 counties. Up to 75 percent of net proceeds generated by the Affiliate stays in the St. Louis area. The remaining 25 percent funds national breast cancer research. For more information, call 314-569-3900 or visit www.komenstlouis.org.
For more information, contact:
Stacey L. Rynders
Communications Specialist
SSM St. Mary's Health Center
314-768-8801 (office)
314-306-7866 (cell)
314-908-0688 (pager)
Stacey_L_Rynders@ssmhc.com