GE Healthcare

Susan G. Komen for the Cure® has joined forces with GE healthymagination in a mission to tackle some of the biggest challenges in breast cancer.  The global partnership will increase breast cancer screenings and accelerate innovations worldwide.  Nancy Brinker, Komen Founder and CEO, shares her excitement: "Extraordinary things can happen when you apply imagination to solve big problems. This initiative brings new innovation, commitment and significant resources to the table, and we're very excited about its potential to help us end suffering and death, on a global scale, from the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women."

"We envision a day when cancer is no longer a deadly disease," GE's CEO Jeff Immelt said. "Through the combination of GE's integrated cancer technologies and the convening of new partners and data sources, we see a new formula for tackling cancer. We think there is a better way and we are committed to driving toward it with partners like Susan G. Komen for the Cure."

This unprecedented partnership launched in New York City in September 2011, and is now active in Wyoming and Saudi Arabia: 

Wyoming

Wyoming has some of the lowest screening rates in the United States, and the average distance of 70 miles to a screening facility makes the breast cancer issue even more complex. The GE-Komen "Wyoming Women First" initiative brings in-state partners and providers together with the shared goal of screening 15,000 women.
The mobile mammography van deployed spring 2012, targeting rarely and never screened women. Join the movement to "give breast cancer the boot" in Wyoming, and pledge to get screened on Facebook.

Komen for the Cure has provided $1.2 million in funding to organizations in Wyoming to address known issues and barriers to care. This funding will help provide free mammograms for uninsured and underinsured women, patient navigation to remove barriers to care and ensure women are able to access additional services if needed, and education encouraging women to take control of their breast health and get screened yearly. 

At right: Wyoming Governor Matt Mead; First Lady Carol Mead; Lynn Erdman, VP Community Health, Komen; Sue Siegel, CEO healthyimagination, GE; Dr. Wendy Braund, State Health Officer, WY Department of Health kick off the new program and Mammovan launch in Cheyenne, Wyoming in June. 

Saudi Arabia  

The GE-Komen initiative in Saudi Arabia brings cutting-edge screening, care and breast health education to 10,000 women, beginning with a pilot program in Riyadh City. Breaking the traditional silence and stigma of breast cancer in the Kingdom, the initiative includes a targeted awareness campaign, a call center, mobile screening units deployed near primary care centers in Riyadh, and timely follow-up care through a partnership with King Fahd Medical City.
 
Princess Hessa Al-Shaalan has stepped forward to support the campaign led by the Ministry of Health along with King Fahd Medical City, GE, Saudi Cancer Society, and Susan G. Komen.

Learn more about the program.

China

Building on the work of the Wyoming and Saudi Initiatives, GE and Komen will expand their collaboration to China. The program will focus on increasing screening rates and designing effective cancer control strategies with local government and NGOs. Please check back for more details as the program is developed and implemented over the coming months.
 

About GE Healthcare

GE Healthcare, founded in 2004, is a subsidiary of General Electric. GE Healthcare is the innovative market and technology leader in breast cancer and has committed $6 billion to continuously develop innovations that help clinicians and healthcare providers deliver high-quality healthcare at lower cost to more people around the world. More information is available at: www.gehealthcare.com.

More information at: www.healthymagination.com.