The Potomac Health Foundation has awarded a generous grant to Prince William Health District (PWHD) for “BEAT Cancer,” a Breast Education Awareness and Treatment program. BEAT Cancer will target breast cancer mortality prevention in the PWHD. The program will form a community breast cancer coalition to determine gaps in care, and will institute a “patient navigator” program to guide women through
the medical system both before and after they are diagnosed with breast cancer. The PWHD will address health equity issues regarding breast cancer survival through culturally sensitive programs to increase breast cancer detection and survival. Those who live in the Potomac Health Foundation service area within the health district – Dumfries and Triangle – will be offered the opportunity to participate in the grant program.
“The coalition will have a broad focus on the issue of breast cancer in the community. Statistics show that although African-American women in Virginia have a lower breast cancer incidence rate than Caucasian women, they have a higher death rate from the disease,” says Health Director Dr. Alison Ansher. “They also have a more advanced stage of cancer when they are diagnosed. To try to improve this situation, the pilot patient navigator program will focus initially on African-American women living in the Dumfries and Triangle areas.”
The PWHD runs the Every Woman’s Life (EWL) program. EWL is a public health program that helps uninsured, low income women in the PWHD gain access to free breast and cervical cancer screening services. Screening and early detection reduces death rates, improves treatment options, and greatly increases survival. To qualify for this program, women must meet certain requirements. They must be between 40-64 years old, live primarily in the PWHD and have an income that is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level.
