The Local and Global Impact of Susan G. Komen for the Cure^®

Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure^® and launched the global breast cancer movement.

Today, Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure^®, the organization has invested nearly $1.5 billion to fulfill its promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure Global Promise Fund
The Susan G. Komen Global Promise Fund is dedicated to reaching underserved people in areas where breast cancer death rates are highest. We'll do so with projects that:

• Increase breast health awareness and access to detection and treatment of breast cancer
• Recruit and fund medical staff
• Provide services to breast cancer survivors and their families
• Recruit and train lay ambassadors to promote breast cancer awareness and treatment messages in underserved areas around the globe.

Our promise becomes mortally critical when you consider that more than 1.1 million people around the world are diagnosed with breast cancer annually and more than 410,000 will die each year. In the next 25 years, another 25 million people will be diagnosed and another 10 million will die, with most of these deaths occurring in countries with limited resources, including 30 countries in Africa and Asia.

National Capital Area Grants Program
Funds raised from the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure^® are granted to local programs that support Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s promise to save lives and end breast cancer forever.

Up to 75 percent of the funds raised by the Global Race for the Cure stays in the D.C. Metro Area to fund breast health education and breast health screening and treatment projects. The remaining dollars support the Komen Global Promise Fund, which is dedicated to helping people around the world.

Through a competitive grant process, the Komen Global Race provides funding to not-for-profit organizations providing breast health services such as mobile mammography and other free or low-cost screening. In addition, the Komen Global Race provides grants to organizations offering treatment assistance and patient support services. All local grants are based on a community needs assessment that identifies and targets existing “gaps” in breast health and breast cancer services in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. We believe the key to eradicating this disease is through education, and we want to continuously spread our message of early detection.

With nearly $1.5 billion invested to date, Susan G. Komen for the Cure is the world’s single largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to curing breast cancer – second only to the U.S. Government. We fight breast cancer on all fronts – in laboratories, in doctors’ offices, throughout communities, in rural and urban areas and at the public policy level.

Local Grant Recipients
The following abstracts are samples of the programs that have been funded through the Susan G. Komen National Capital Area Grants Program:

Mautner Project (D.C. Area)

• $500,000 grant, July 2008-June 2010. Keeping the sole national organization dedicated to lesbians with cancer operating during challenging economic times.
• With funds from Komen, Mautner aims to accomplish the following:
• Develop a strategic plan
• Create a self-sustaining fundraising program
• Update data management systems
• Improve communications and Web capacity
• Expand their board of directors to include members from around the country

Montgomery County (Md.)

• $699,430 grant, January 2007-December 2009 for Primary Care Coalition of Montgomery County, Inc. (PCC) is the catalyst for a public-private collaboration including the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (MCDHHS), 12 non-profit “safety-net” clinics, and five community hospitals.
• 100,000 low-income uninsured adults and children (under 250% FPL), of which 25,000 are women > 40 years of age.
• As of July 1, 2008, due to budget cuts, the Montgomery County Breast and Cervical Cancer Program no longer accepted new patients, creating an additional burden within this community.
• Results: Through process improvement activities focusing on improving the system and reducing patient barriers through “rapid referral” the project has had the following successes:
• Increased the mammography screening referral rate for low-income and uninsured women from 40% to 80%.
• Increased the mammography screening rate for low-income and uninsured women from 20% to 50%.
• Reduced the average time from clinic referral to mammogram completion from 100 days to 5 days.

Washington Hospital Center – Washington Cancer Institute (D.C.)

• $687,989 grant January 1, 2008- December 2010 for Washington Hospital Center, a not-for-profit 926–bed acute care teaching and research hospital based in Northwest Washington, DC.
• It is the largest private medical center in the nation’s capital; in 2006 the Washington Cancer Institute at Washington Hospital Center diagnosed 2,327 new cases of cancer, including 306 cases of breast cancer.
• This project is a collaboration between Washington Cancer Institute and four community-based organizations within the National Capital Area.
• The aim of this program is to create a seamless system of care at Washington Cancer Institute (WCI) that eliminates barriers to low-income and minority women accessing treatment.
• Results:
• Washington Cancer Institute, decreased by more than half, the amount of time it takes for a woman to have a biopsy after having an abnormal mammogram.
• Decreased by 17%, the amount of time between biopsy and surgery at WCI.
• Decreased by 22% the amount of time between surgery and chemotherapy at WCI.
• To date (July 2009), 232 African American women have been recruited to participate in clinical trials through the Breaking Down Barriers program at WCI.

National Capital Area (D.C.)
Nueva Vida, Inc.

• $700,000 grant from January 2008-December 2010. Nueva Vida, Inc. was founded in 1996 by a group of Latina breast cancer survivors and health professionals determined to address the lack of culturally sensitive cancer support services for Latinas in the Washington, DC area.
• Their mission is to inform, support and empower Latinas, whose lives are affected by cancer, and to advocate for and facilitate the timely access to state of the art cancer care, including screening, diagnosis, treatment and care for all Latinas.
• The project is lead by Larisa Caicedo, a member of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure^® National Hispanic and Latina Advisory Council, the Latin American Cancer Research Coalition Advisory Board, and The National Breast Cancer Coalition Board of Directors.
• Komen is funding a ten-year retrospective study to evaluate Nueva Vida’s comprehensive patient navigation program and mental health services to examine their impact on the breast cancer support system in place for Latinas.
• Key informant interviews, focus group discussions, literature reviews and analysis of quantitative data from previous studies are being utilized during this project to provide a broad view of the psychosocial issues related to breast cancer for Latinas.
• Results:
• In 2009 alone, over 120 Latinas were provided mental health services through Nueva Vida.
• Over 250 referrals were made for screening and diagnostic mammograms.
• Recruitment goal was to recruit 60 women over a two year period. To date (July 2009), 64 women have been recruited. Recruitment will continue through the end of 2009.
• Preliminary findings indicate programs offered by Nueva Vida have a positive benefit for participants.