Denver Health is one of many grant recipients. Pictured here are all grantees from 2011-2012 grant cycle that have made a difference in our community.

The grant, which provides funding for a part-time patient navigator, patient co-pays, and patient transportation expenses, was the catalyst for the creation of a program that has been eye-opening for Denver Health. Denver Health initially ran a comprehensive list of patients with disabilities in their patient records, and the final number of women ages 40-64 living with disabilites was more than 1,000 women. The challenge is to provide the personalized care needed by each of these individuals. For some the barrier to healthcare access was fear, for others it was inadequate transportation. One woman with severe arthritis required a full day of rest to prepare for any doctor appointment, a full day to travel to and from the appointment and a third day to rest and recover from the pain. The following are a few of many things that have been learned through the Komen Denver grant.

• There was a Need to Acknowledge the Current Lack of Awareness & Support. Many local organizations do not have mechanisms at check-in or other communication points that allow them to identify whether or not a patient is living with a disability. Denver Health has learned they do not have sufficient handicap parking spaces. There is now an understanding that many of the healthcare systems and process, from appointment scheduing, to the mammography machines used in screening, are created to serve people already in great health. Many patients with disabilities want to avoid “burdening” those helping them, and may avoid screening and treatment to avoid this feeling.
• Partnerships Are Key. Denver Health worked with other local organizations committed to serving individuals living with disabilities, including Denver Options, Family Voices, Colorado Cross Disability Coalition and Mental Health Centers of Denver,to better understand the patients they are serving and to identify opportunities for partnerships that would help improve service to patients. Denver Health has brought the Mobile Clinic to Mental Health Centers, and the Patient Navigator is present to introduce herself to anyone needing potential follow-up. Some of these organizations have provided breast health information to their community through newsletters and/or breast cancer screening appointment reminders. Denver Health is interested in sharing what they have learned with other health organizations to improve healthcare service provided to people living with disabilities wherever they seek services.
• Prevention for Patients Often Takes Backseat to Illness. Because individuals living with a disability may need to spend long periods of time in hospitals or under a physician’s care, they tend to be more focused on getting well, which may make preventative screening less of a priority. Their breast cancer risks, however, are no lower than women without disabilities. The patient navigator is working with individuals in such situations to make sure they are aware of screening guidelines and availability of needed screening. The patient response has been very positive.
• The program has helped guide Denver Health in their decision-making. “The more information and understanding that is collected, the better actions can be strategic and directed in the future,” said Dr. Uris. People need to understand the importance of preventative health measures, and this program is allowing us to help educate and screen individuals by providing needed information on breast health and breast cancer. Without Komen Denver, this program would not exist. We would never have had the opportunity to have patients, when asked how they think we can improve, say we just need to “continue to be there for support.”

If others are considering implementing similar programs in their organizations, Dr. Uris is willing to speak with those interested in learning more. She can be contacted via email at Patricia.uris@dhha.org.

Photo credits Annie Bade

With Mom’s Day just around the corner, we’ve decided to celebrate women all month! Still looking for a way to tell Mom you love her? Or have women that you care about and looking for ways to tell them how? You can enter them into a contest to win a half-day of pampering at Beau Visage – including a one-hour massage, European facial, moisturizing hand treatment, hot oil manicure, conditioning pedicure and delicious lunch.  Click here to enter yourself or your loved ones.

And what’s more, entering into this contest also signs women up for an annual mammogram reminder.  The key to optimal health is detecting breast cancer early, when the 5-year survival rate is 98 percent. The survival rate plummets to 23 percent when the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body. Women can be proactive about their health, and staying on top of screening is a great way to stay healthy.

Currently, only 50% of women over 40 are getting screened for breast cancer. This simply isn’t enough. Reach out to the women in your life to encourage them to sign-up for their annual screening.  “I can’t emphasize enough the importance of being proactive,” said Brelle, a breast cancer survivor. “I was lucky I was diagnosed early. I had a very aggressive tumor and delayed diagnosis could have meant the difference between life and death.” Both Brelle and her mother, Trish, survived breast cancer. They supported each other through diagnosis, treatment, and now celebrate 5 years of being cancer-free together. To read more on their story, click here.

Sally Cogdill accepting Volunteer of the Year Award from Marketing & Education Director, Amarilis Viera

Shortly after treatment, Sally participated in a volunteer training event and the first event that she volunteered for was a National Convention for Young Breast Cancer survivors.  After that, she became heavily involved in education-based events. As a retired teacher, these events were a way for Sally to put her teaching skills to work outside of the classroom and continue to educate. When the opportunity arose for a Volunteer Coordinator to help with health fair efforts, Sally knew she was up to the task.

In her tenth year of survivorship and in her tenth year as a Komen Denver volunteer, Sally continues in the fight against breast cancer. “We encounter uninsured and underinsured women at 9 Health Fairs that truly believe there are no resources for them,” said Sally. When she volunteers at the fairs that she has helped to staff, she gets breast cancer information into as many hands as possible. Part of her passion for breast cancer education comes from her own success that resulted from early detection (her breast cancer was Stage 1 when she was diagnosed), and another part comes from the loss of family and friends to the disease.

What is one moment in Sally’s many experiences as a volunteer that stands out? She was volunteering at a 9 Health Fair for the second year in a row, and one of the fair participants approached her with some reinforcing news. At last year’s fair, Sally had shoved a brochure in the women’s hand and given her quick plea for the importance of screening and early detection. The women had put the brochure in her bag and forgotten about it until she returned home that night. She pulled out the brochure, and was encouraged to do a self-exam, through which she detected a lump. A mammogram confirmed that it was, in fact, breast cancer, but fortunately it was caught at an early stage.  “This is not the only women our efforts has touched,” Sally exclaimed. “The one-on-one conversations at these fairs are enough to motivate women to schedule their annual mammogram and be proactive about their health.”

Need help keeping up with your annual mammogram? Click here to sign up – it only takes two minutes and an email address. Also, visit our Facebook page and “Like” Komen Denver to enter yourself to win an amazing spa package from Beau Visage Skin Care & Spa! Prize valued at $120. When you enter the contest, you will be enrolled in our annual mammogram or clinical breast exam reminder program. Click here for more details.

Former Board President Karen Hill, Volunteer Jean Galloway, former Board President Gerry Lewis-Jenkins, 1st Pink Tie Co-Chair Michael Ditchfield, former Board President Becky Haddad and 1st Pink Tie Co-Chair Joan Lucas

The Denver Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure was excited to celebrate 20 years of fighting breast cancer in our community on Thursday, April 19^th at the Denver Museum for Nature and Science. The event was dedicated to
celebrating and honoring the many survivors, donors, volunteers and partners that have made it possible for us to provide 64,640 breast health screening services in Colorado that detected 391 cases of breast cancer, and allowed us to also fund 1,261 treatment services.

The 20^th Anniversary Celebration event was focused on recognizing outstanding individuals and organizations that have contributed to our efforts over the past 20 years. The event also provided us the opportunity to reflect on how far Komen Denver has come in 20 years.

“Together we have made much progress over the years. Early stage breast cancer now has a 98% survival rate compared to about 74% in 1980. Our efforts helped decrease breast cancer mortality rates by 39% impacting the life of Coloradoans,” stated Michele Ostrander, Executive Director of the Affiliate. “Yet we have much to do, in Colorado this year almost 3,400 women will be diagnosed and 500 will die from this disease.”

In the 2012-2013 grant cycle, Komen Denver Affiliate is awarding $2.5 million to 15 organizations this fiscal year including: Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation, Rocky Mountain Rural Health, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado Department of Public Health (Women’s Wellness Center), Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, Denver Health Foundation, Colorado Community Network, Poudre Valley Hospital Foundation, Yuma District Hospital, McKee Medical Center Foundation, Boulder Community Hospital, Mount Evans Home Health and Hospice, The Raymond Wentz Foundation, Women’s Resource Center, and Colorado Foundation for Public Health and Environment.

The positive impact of this funding is significant, but it is not enough – as the
need in our community continues to grow. The Affiliate received grant requests for $3.7 million for the 2012-13 grant cycle, and was unfortunately unable to fund all requests. The Affiliate will continue focusing on our mission to save lives and end this devastating disease.

The Day of Caring was started 30 years ago by Sue Miller who was a breast cancer survivor and fashion model. The event is completely volunteer driven and includes seminars, exhibits, a trade show and a fashion show to benefit any and all people impacted by breast cancer. Survivors, families, friends and caregivers are all encouraged to attend to benefit from the event.

The event will take place at the Denver Tech Center Marriott located at 4900 South Syracuse Street, Denver, CO 80237. All attendees must register before Friday, May 4^th. Click here to register online.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Joi and supporter, Darrel, at Georgia Tech

Joi was diagnosed a week after her 50th birthday and had no insurance. Being a woman of faith, she says she knew God would get her through it, she just didn’t know how. In less than a week a friend referred her to someone who worked for the Denver Metropolitan Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure and she was blessed with a grant to pay all of her surgery and treatment costs. With her 3 sons to cheer her on, she’ll be training this summer for a Half Marathon and raising money through Marathon for the Cure. On a recent Spring Break trip Joi said, “We visited the Georgia Tech stadium with my family. My boys make it a tradition to visit a major college field to find a memento. We met Darrell, the stadium facilitator, who showed us around and told us the story of losing his lovely wife of 18 years to breast cancer. She was given 2-3 years and through determination and progress in treatment she lived over 4 years. Yesterday was the first anniversary of her death. He told us how strong she was and how she never had a bad attitude. He really needed to share and we listened to him talk about her for over an hour. It was heartwarming and made me even more determined to be a part of the hope of ending this disease”. Joi’s determination will take her all the way as she trains to run 13.1 miles this summer.

Sasha Proudly Wearing Her "Survivor" Hat

Sasha says early detection saved her life. Her first routine mammogram last summer at the age of 42 led to a biopsy, which led to a breast cancer diagnosis and a bilateral mastectomy. She credits Susan G. Komen for the Cure with saving her life through their awareness campaigns. Ironically, she had signed up to Tri for the Cure last year, but was just out of surgery and found herself under doctor’s orders not to swim or bike with fresh stitches. So she walked the 5K part of the race. “I cried almost the whole way – I felt so broken, and was overcome by seeing all these women racing for a cure for the very thing I had just been through. I was determined to come back and join them, and to further spread the message of the importance of early detection.”

Join Joi and Sasha this summer and put your best foot forward to end breast cancer forever.

“Komen Denver has and continues to invest in our community to help ensure that no individual faces a diagnosis of breast cancer alone. We have made much progress over the years. Early stage breast cancer now has a 98% survival rate compared to about 74% in 1980. Our efforts helped decrease breast cancer mortality rates by 39% impacting the life of Coloradoans,” stated Michele Ostrander, Executive Director of the Affiliate. “Yet we have much to do, in Colorado this year almost 3,400 women will be diagnosed and 500 will die from this disease.”

Grantee Site Visit at McKee Medical Center

Komen Denver Affiliate is awarding $2.5 million to 15 organizations this fiscal year including: Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation, Rocky Mountain Rural Health, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado Department of Public Health (Women’s Wellness Center), Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, Denver Health Foundation, Colorado Community Network, Poudre Valley Hospital Foundation, Yuma District Hospital, McKee Medical Center Foundation, Boulder Community Hospital, Mount Evans Home Health and Hospice, The Raymond Wentz Foundation, Women’s Resource Center, and Colorado Foundation for Public Health and Environment.

Grants awarded by Komen Denver Affiliate are targeted to uninsured and underinsured individuals in the greater Denver community and focus on breast cancer screening, treatment and treatment support services. “A high priority for this year’s grant cycle is screening because of the increased need within the community due to state funding cuts, which have resulted in approximately 5,000 fewer women having access to breast cancer screening in the Affiliate’s service area. Komen Denver Affiliate is the safety-net program in the community for women who have nowhere else to turn to receive breast cancer screening and treatment services” said Ostrander. Due to state funding cuts, the Affiliate’s Board of Directors prioritized screening grants to help meet the needs of women in our community. The key to survival is detecting breast cancer early when the 5-year survival rate is 98 percent. The survival rate plummets to 23 percent when the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body.

Grants from last fiscal year funded nearly 17,000 breast health and breast cancer services for medically underserved individuals in the community. The positive impact this funding has made on women’s lives in the community is significant but not enough, as the need continues to grow. This year, the Affiliate received $3.7 million in requests for funding. Due to prioritizing screening grants and continued economic challenges, the grant requests exceeded the amount of funds available resulting in nine fewer organizations being funded this year. Komen Denver is not an endowed foundation and all the money that we grant each year was raised the previous fiscal year.

The Affiliate has a rigorous granting process. Grants are available to any nonprofit providing breast cancer screening, treatment and support services for low-income and uninsured individuals. All grants are reviewed by an Independent Review Panel made up of community volunteers with knowledge of grants management, medicine, nonprofit management, finance, community groups, as well as breast cancer survivors. The panel members review and score all the applications and make recommendations to the Affiliate’s Board of Directors who have the final approval of the grant funding slate.

The Affiliate will continue the work in the community and is committed to realizing a world without breast cancer and encourages the community to get involved to help save lives and end breast cancer forever.

Catherine Meng and her Family at Race for the Cure

To Catherine, one the most important keys to your health is to advocate for
your own self. “You can’t advocate for what you need unless you’re informed,”
she explains. “People are afraid to ask questions about their health. If you
feel strongly about something, go for it!” Click here for her full story.

The event, now in its 10^th year, included a 3k and 5k walk and a Lil’ Romper Dash. Many enthusiastic participants made up a vibrant sea of pink that romped, dashed, and danced through the snow for a good cause. Individuals and teams at the event participate to honor loved ones that they have lost to breast cancer and show the hope that they have for survivors and advances in breast cancer treatments.

It’s not too late to donate to the event. Donations are still being accepted on the Romp 2 Stomp website at http://tubbsromptostomp.com/co/fundraising/donate_now. The event has collected nearly $750,000 over the past decade, and continues to share the vision of a world without breast cancer.

The two hot-button issues that the events focused on included Amendment 35, the excise tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products to fund much needed health and chronic disease programs – including breast and cervical cancer screening for uninsured, low-income individuals – and HB 12-1104, the Colorado Cancer Fund Tax Checkoff initiative, which aims to change the name and scope of funding expansion.

Efforts surrounding Amendment 35 funds were focused on ensuring funding levels are maintained and used to prevent cancer and support uninsured and underinsured individuals in Colorado. In response to One Voice Against Cancer Lobby Day efforts, Speaker Frank McNulty (R-Highlands Ranch) urged lawmakers to act. “In 2004, Colorado voters made it very clear that Amendment 35 tobacco tax funds should go towards the prevention and treatment of diseases like cancer,” said McNulty. “It is our duty as representatives of that electorate to respect their wishes and ensure that Amendment 35 revenues are used to prevent cancer and support Coloradoans who have been diagnosed with cancer.”

Emphasis on the Colorado Cancer Fund Tax Checkoff supported the expansion of services provided through this fund. The Tax Checkoff bill has passed in the House and will now be up for vote in the Senate. The bill proposes the new fund be renamed the Colorado Cancer Fund.  Contributions are 100 percent voluntary and come from individual taxpayers, not the state’s General Fund. Participants in the event highlighted their support of passing this bill in the Senate.

The Colorado One Voice Against Cancer group acknowledges that the fight will not be over until the world is cancer-free. All individuals and organizations that participated in the Lobby Day events reaffirmed a shared commitment to continue efforts for the fight against cancer and support programs that do the same.