What's New
Executive Director’s Report
June 2011
As a supporter of the Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force, we want to provide a brief update on our programs and upcoming events. We have been working on many exciting initiatives, which wouldn’t be possible without your support. Thank you for joining us in our fight to save women’s lives!
· Saving Lives Through Advocacy
Earlier this year we learned that the Governor’s FY 12 budget would cut $1.4 million from the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (IBCCP) and that the Illinois General Assembly was considering even greater cuts. The program is already severely underfunded, serving just 13% of the 300,000 uninsured women eligible to receive free mammogram and cancer treatment services (or 1 out of 8). We raised awareness about these unacceptable cuts by writing letters to multiple state legislators and encouraging our current supporters to contact the Governor’s office. Our efforts paid off and the cuts were limited to the original $1.4 million. While we are not happy about this cut and will continue to advocate with the Governor to restore these funds, it could have been much worse without our vigorous efforts. We will continue leading the charge for the IBCCP program so that women can access the breast cancer care that they desperately need. Join our advocacy effort by sending a message to the Governor to reverse these cuts. You can do this through our website at www.chicagobreastcancer.org under the “What’s New” section.
· Saving Lives Through Our Chicago Breast Cancer Quality Consortium
Our Quality Consortium project is going state wide! The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services announced that they will be tripling the Medicaid mammography reimbursement rate for providers who submit data to our Quality Consortium project. This will enable us to collect research data from health providers across the state detailing their effectiveness in finding and treating breast cancer. This partnership will be the catalyst for vast improvements in breast cancer quality care across the state.
The Quality Consortium has also implemented a first of its kind detailed study of how women interact with the breast healthcare system. We are gathering data on patient/medical staff interactions at 25 of the Consortium’s participating health institutions. We expect this research to be completed by August 2011.
We had two scientific abstracts accepted by the American Society of Clinical Oncology at the meeting held here in Chicago in June, 2011 and another abstract will be presented at Academy Health. Additionally, our work was chosen for special recognition and presentation at the National Breast Cancer Consortium’s meeting in March. To learn more about the Quality Consortium, visit our website at www.chicagobreastcancer.org. If you have questions, contact me at (312) 942-0309 or Anne_M_Murphy@rush.edu.
· Saving Lives by Raising Awareness
On April 6, 2011, we launched our third health series on Chicago Access Network Television. Guests included Hong Liu from the Midwest Asian Health Association, Mayra Quiroa from Mujeres Latinas En Acción and Odette Alleyne from Westside Health Authority. We shared stories of courage and triumph over breast cancer, raised awareness about the importance of screenings and highlighted free mammogram screening and treatment programs. View the latest CAN TV episodes on our website. If you have ideas about topics or guests for the show, please contact Trina Khalfani at (312) 942-4281 or Trina_Khalfani@rush.edu.
In May and June, we sponsored two Women Speak! Breast Cancer Awareness events. The purpose of Women Speak! was to give medically underserved women access to experts in breast cancer screening, treatment, plastic surgery and survivorship. We also provided opportunities for them to sign up for free mammograms. More than 100 women attended our first event on May 19, 2011 at the Murphy Hill Gallery and a third of them signed up for free mammogram screenings! Our second town hall event took place on June 16, 2011 at the South Shore Cultural Center. Nearly 200 women attended and 50 of them signed up for free mammograms!
On June 1, 2011, we hosted a friend and fundraiser with the Evanston Health Department. We are excited to partner with the Department to spread the word about breast cancer health disparities for women of color. Breast cancer survivor Tonya Hackney gave an impassioned presentation about the critical need for uninsured women to have access to free mammogram screenings and treatment. Having access to the IBCCP program saved Ms. Hackney’s life! Over 90 people attended the event and we raised more than $12,000. If you are interested in hosting a friend and fundraiser for the Task Force, please contact Darlene Oliver, Associate Director, at (312) 942-4232 or Darlene_Oliver@rush.edu.
Other Upcoming Events
We are currently planning our November 2011 Breast Cancer Conference! Over the past three years, we have used our annual event as an opportunity to “Report Back to the Community” on the Task Force’s work. This year, will be different! Under the theme “Uniting to End Disparity,” the Task Force will hold a conference that will appeal to both our community based partners and our health provider partners. By bringing these groups together to share their experiences, we hope to significantly contribute to improvements in breast cancer care across Metropolitan Chicago for ALL women. There are many sponsorship and volunteer opportunities for the conference. Contact Darlene Oliver, Associate Director, at (312) 942-4232 or Darlene_Oliver@rush.edu for more details.
