Gifford receives $40,000 grant from Avon Foundation for Women

Gifford Medical Center in Randolph has been awarded an Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund grant for the ninth consecutive year. The only organization in the state to receive the national award, Gifford has been granted $40,000 for 2010 to increase awareness of the life-saving benefits of early detection of breast cancer.
The Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund is a program of the Avon Foundation for Women and supports community-based, non-profit breast health programs across the country. Gifford was selected as one of 127 grant recipients nationwide. Organizations are chosen based on their ability to effectively reach women, particularly minority, low-income and older women, who are often medically underserved.
In 2009, Gifford, through the Avon Foundation for Women’s generosity, reached 4,185 women during educational visits, a total estimated audience of more than 142,000 with the help of the media, and scheduled 588 women for mammograms.
Gifford’s outreach is done primarily by Breast Care Coordinator Jane Harrness, a mammography technologist, who speaks around the state about the importance of annual mammograms and regular breast exams for detecting breast cancer early.
The grant – designated for outreach and education – makes her work possible.
“Gifford is so thankful to receive this grant. It is an immeasurable gift,” Harrness said. “We help women access the health care system and learn the importance of taking care of themselves.”
Gifford and Harrness have historically used the funding to outreach to women where they live, work and socialize. That has meant numerous visits to senior centers and senior living facilities, schools, agricultural events including the state’s county fairs, conferences for women, and Vermont’s women’s prisons and halfway houses.
That work will continue in 2010 with Harrness planning to kick off her year of outreach at the Vermont Farm Show in Barre later this month. She sets up a display and speaks to hundreds of visitors about the benefits of mammograms and early detection.
Pam Caron, director of ancillary services, is one of Harrness’ managers at Gifford.
“I am in awe of Jane and her efforts to reach the community with this project,” said Caron, calling Harrness a “godsend.” “This grant allows her to reach so many people, in so many ways who otherwise may never have heard this information.”
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in both U.S. and Vermont women, and the leading cause of death in U.S. women ages of 40 and 55.
An estimated 473 new cases of female breast cancer are diagnosed each year in Vermont – making up about 30 percent of all cancers diagnosed in Vermont women) and 92 women die from the disease, according to Vermont Cancer Registry statistics.
Nationwide, there is a new diagnosis of breast cancer every three minutes and a death every 14 minutes.
While advances have been made in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and working toward a cure for breast cancer, early detection still affords the best opportunity for successful treatment.
According to the Avon Foundation for Women, programs such as Gifford’s help ensure that all women, including the poor, medically underserved and rurally isolated, have access to early detection information and options.
Gifford’s consecutive awards are also recognition of the program’s excellence, the Foundation noted in announcing the grants.
Since 1993, the Avon Foundation for Women has awarded more than 1,300 grants and $54.3 million to community-based breast health programs across the United States. These programs are dedicated to educating underserved women about breast cancer and linking them to early detection screening services.
Source: Gifford: 1.15.2010