Christiana Care’s Pink Ribbon Program receives $25,000 from Komen Philadelphia

For the 18th consecutive year, Susan G. Komen Philadelphia has awarded a $25,000 grant to Christiana Care Health System’s Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute to fund its Pink Ribbon Program, which provides education, screenings and other services to women in the community in support of breast health.

The Pink Ribbon Program uses outreach navigators and partner agencies to help people schedule mammograms, find transportation, find funding sources to cover the cost of mammograms and educate the community about breast health, cancer prevention and early detection. The program also provides funds for screening mammograms for those who are eligible.

The Pink Ribbon Program eliminates barriers that may prevent some women from accessing screening mammograms. For example, Christiana Care arranges block-time screenings with women’s groups, and provides interpreters and additional support.

“Each year, our goal through the Pink Ribbon Program is to reach more women and help them access mammograms and other services that support breast health,” said Nora Katurakes, MSN, RN, OCN, manager of Community Health Outreach and Education at the Graham Cancer Center. “A lack of financial resources shouldn’t be a barrier to receiving good care, and this program and the Komen Philadelphia community grant that funds it help ensure that we’re supporting the people who need it most.”

In the last year, the program assisted nearly 700 people by:

• Helping 466 people receive mammograms, with the help of partner agencies.
• Providing funding for 123 people, who received 71 screening mammograms, 41 diagnostic mammograms and 53 ultrasounds.
• Diagnosing breast cancer in four patients.

In 2019, Komen Philadelphia awarded $250,000 in grants to support organizations that offer breast health education, awareness, screening and treatment targeting medically underserved, uninsured or low-income populations. The grant to Christiana Care to fund its Pink Ribbon Program gave more Delaware women access to breast screenings and other services and supported breast cancer survivors.

“I am privileged to work with our grantees almost every day and experience their extraordinarily high level of devotion to our mission, as well as to our community,” said Kelsey Mattson, program director, Grants & Public Policy, Komen Philadelphia. “For them the work is, of course, about saving lives. But it’s also about much more. It’s about guiding women in need on a path to a better quality of life.”