Why Atlanta, Georgia?
Women living in Georgia's urban counties are at a significantly greater risk of developing breast cancer than are women living in rural Georgia. In fact, breast cancer mortality rates are nearly 50 percent higher among urban black women than among rural white women. The Komen Community Challenge made our fourth stop in Atlanta on June 20-22, 2007 to highlight the disparities that make breast cancer deadlier for some women; bring Atlanta's diverse community together in fighting the disease; and build the public will for a greater investment in screening and early detection programs.
Did You Know?
Fifty-three counties in Georgia do not have an FDA approved mammography facility and 72 counties have only one facility.
Did You Know?
More than 720,000 women in the state of Georgia are uninsured. Uninsured women are more likely to receive a late-stage breast cancer diagnosis and are 30 to 50 percent more likely to die from the disease than women with insurance.
Public Policy Challenge
Georgia has a successful program that provides screening and early detection services to low-income and uninsured and underinsured women in the state called BreasTEST & MORE. Under current funding levels, however, the program reaches only a fraction of the women eligible for services - only 15-20 percent. The Komen Greater Atlanta Affiliate granted $355,000 in 2007 to help BreasTEST & MORE serve women in the 40-49 age group, but it is important that the state do its part as well. With no cure for breast cancer and no way to prevent it, early detection is truly the key to survival and all women - whether they can afford health care or not - deserve the same chance to live.
The Events
The Georgia Komen Community Challenge was focused on both public education and community mobilization in support of increased funding for BreasTEST & MORE. On June 20, 2007, television personality René Syler moderated a roundtable discussion on "Closing the Breast Care Gap" at Grady Memorial Hospital. Seventy-five people turned out to hear remarks from Hala Moddelmog, Susan G. Komen for the Cure President and CEO; Secretary of State Karen Handel, the third-highest decision-maker in state government; Dr. Otis Brawley, Chief of Hematology and Oncology Services and the Medical Director of the Georgia Cancer Coalition Center of Excellence at Grady Memorial Hospital; Faye Wong, who leads the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; State Representatives Pam Stephenson and Sharon Cooper; Venus Ginés, Founder and CEO of Dia de la Mujer Latina, Inc.; and Marianne Chung of the Center for Pan Asian Community Services.
The next day, June 21, 2007, René Syler and Hala Moddelmog addressed a lunchtime crowd at Atlantic Station about the need to increase funding for the BreasTEST & MORE screening program. Thirty workers from UPS showed their support by attending the event, which included entertainment by Shades of Pink, a breast cancer survivors' chorus. One hundred and twenty people picked up literature inside Komen on the Go™. Canvassers worked the crowd and gathered signatures for Komen's petition to the Legislature to increase funding for BreasTEST & MORE.
Later that day, Komen's petition drive continued at Screen on the Green at Piedmont Park. Canvassers passed out Komen promise rings, t-shirts, and breast health educational materials and gathered 2,300 signatures asking for more funding for free screening and early detection programs.
At the last event of the three-day challenge, Komen on the Go™ made a splash at Atlanta's LGBT Pride Festival. Canvassers continued to gather petition signatures and pass out breast health information. Mary Ann Adams, one of nine Komen LGBT Advisory Council members, toured Komen on the Go™ and helped gather signatures.
Outcome and Next Steps
The Georgia Komen Community Challenge helped gather over 2,000 signatures for Komen's petition to the Legislature asking for increased funding for BreasTEST & MORE. As important, the events brought together the city's diverse communities to form a united front against breast cancer. The Komen Georgia Affiliates are building on the momentum generated by the challenge to create a plan to fund fully BreasTEST & MORE by 2013. In addition, we are also advocating for increased support for patient navigator programs, faith-based breast cancer outreach programs, and public health nurses, who are paid below market-rate in the area. To learn more or get involved, please visit http://www.komenatlanta.org/.
