BOSTON, April 10 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 11, breast cancer survivors, activists, health care professionals and elected officials will participate in a legislative luncheon at the Statehouse to engage communities around the state in advocating for increased funding for the Massachusetts Women's Health Network, the public health program which provides screening, patient navigation and treatment for income-eligible, uninsured or underinsured women. In addition, advocates will call for the establishment of a new state Office of Health Equity to coordinate efforts of state agencies to eliminate health disparities.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070122/NYM084LOGO)
Nationwide, one in eight women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. In 2008, more than 4,000 Massachusetts women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and an estimated 900 will die from the disease. Low income women, minorities and underinsured women are more likely to die from the disease, whereas those with access to early diagnosis have a 98 percent chance for survival.
This event launches Massachusetts' participation in the Komen Community Challenge, a nationwide program to restore the sense of urgency to the breast cancer movement and close the gaps in research, public policy and access to quality care that cause some women to die of the disease more than others.
SOURCE Susan G. Komen for the Cure
