For Immediate Release
Mercy Receives Komen Funds for Oklahoma Women
Oklahoma City — Thanks to a $28,600 grant from the Central Oklahoma
Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, many uninsured and
underinsured women in Oklahoma County will get mammograms and needed
diagnostic procedures this year at Mercy.
“Some of these women may already have breast cancer but don’t know
it. Since they don’t have insurance, they don’t get annual mammograms,”
said Gaylene Stiles, manager of Mercy Health Center’s Community
Outreach. “We want all women to have the opportunity to find cancer as
early as possible so they have a better chance of survival.”
If breast cancer is found when it is a half-inch or less in
size—before it can be felt—a woman’s chance of survival can be more than
90 percent, according to Alan Hollingsworth, M.D., medical director of
Mercy Women’s Center and Mercy oncology services. By waiting until a
cancer can be felt, the average chance of survival drops to 60 to 70
percent.
Through Project Early Detection—a group that includes representatives
from Mercy, church health ministers, faith community nurses and free
medical clinics—women in Oklahoma County who need assistance will be
identified.
This year Komen awarded more than $725,000 in grants to Oklahoma
breast cancer screening and treatment programs. Mercy’s funds will go to
breast health education, screenings and diagnostic procedures.
“We want to make sure more women are getting access to diagnosis and
screening,” said Stiles. “As a health facility, Mercy is committed to
helping Oklahomans get the healthcare they need.”
To find out if you qualify for services, call Michelle Hauge, (405)
936-5455, at Mercy Women’s Center.
Press release dated: April 10, 2008
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