The goal of the Southland Coalition to Conquer Breast Cancer is to help educate and raise the awareness levels among African-American women on the subject of breast cancer prevention, early detection and overall breast health in suburban Chicagoland The Southland Coalition to Conquer Breast Cancer was founded in 1999 to raise awareness as to the increased risk of mortality from breast cancer that African American Women face compared to their Caucasian neighbors. Ingalls Memorial Hospital and a collaboration of women's organization and cancer support groups met in response to a then new report from the Suburban Cook County Department of Public Health. It asserted that an African American woman's rate of being diagnosed with breast cancer was not higher than that of a Caucasian woman: however, here in South Suburban Cook County, African American Women are dying at twice the rate of Caucasian Women. The Southland Coalition to Conquer Breast Cancer hosts an annual breast health education and resource forum, which is open to the community, in October. It also participate and partners with American Cancer Society, local churches, human and social service agencies, community events, Expo for today's Black Woman and civic organizations throughout the year to stress the importance of regular exams, mammograms and self-examination as key to prevention and early detection.
