Officials from the Parkview LaGrange Foundation today announced receipt of a grant for 2011 from the Indiana Breast Cancer Awareness Trust. The grant supports Parkview LaGrange Hospital’s mammography screening program, “Compression with Compassion.” Through the grant, uninsured and underinsured women from LaGrange County can receive financial assistance for a screening mammogram at the hospital.
The American Cancer Society has estimated a woman’s chance of developing breast cancer to be 1 in 8 and that breast cancer would be the cause of death in 1 in 35 women. The good news is that the death rates from breast cancer have been decreasing steadily since 1999, mainly due to the increase in early detection through screening and increased awareness, and improvements in the treatment of the disease. The ACS guidelines for early detection of breast cancer recommend a clinical breast exam be part of a woman’s regular health check-up every three years from ages 20 to 30 and every year at age 40 and older. An annual screening mammogram is recommended for all women beginning at age 40. Women with higher risk factors for breast cancer, or with a family history that includes the disease, should talk with their doctors about specific screening recommendations for their circumstances.
The mission of the Indiana Breast Cancer Awareness Trust, Inc. is to increase awareness and improve access to breast cancer screening and diagnosis throughout Indiana. Any Indiana resident may purchase an Indiana Breast Cancer Awareness license plate by visiting their local Bureau of Motor Vehicles branch or the BMV website at www.in.gov/bmv. Of the $40 specialty plate fee, $25 is a direct tax-deductible donation to the Indiana Breast Cancer Awareness Trust. The plate can be purchased for use on passenger cars, trucks and recreational vehicles up to 11,000 pounds and motorcycles.
Since the breast cancer license plate first became available in 2002, more than $1.1 million has been distributed by the Indiana Breast Cancer Awareness Trust through competitively awarded grants to organizations throughout the state for innovative projects for screening mammography services not otherwise available to medically underserved populations in Indiana.
The Parkview LaGrange Foundation supports hospital clinical programs and services through charitable gifts and grants. Among on-going foundation initiatives are the Medication Assistance Program that provides financial support to uninsured and underinsured patients for their medicines and the Special Touch Program that provides patients with non-medical assistance during an emergency. The programs are greatly valued by our patients and contribute toward their good health. All donations to the Parkview LaGrange Foundation remain in County for continued improvement of the hospital’s services, facilities, equipment and programs.
For additional information about the “Compression with Compassion” program at Parkview LaGrange Hospital, or to apply for mammography assistance, please contact Randy Packer, social services coordinator, at (260) 463-9280.