Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation receives $218,000 Komen grant

From Illinois Business Journal news services

SAUGET — Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation has received a $218,000 grant from Susan G. Komen Missouri for its START NOW Breast Health Services Program. START NOW’s focus is to increase awareness of the life-saving benefits of early breast cancer detection and increase breast health services to uninsured and underserved women in St. Clair, Madison and Clinton counties.

START NOW is designed to remove barriers to quality health care by educating women at both SIHF’s health centers and its affiliate hospital, Touchette Regional Hospital, and referring them to low-cost or free mammograms and clinical breast exams in their own communities. The team provides a continuum of care with education, support and navigation of treatment, beginning with outreach through five years of survivorship.

Since 2008, START NOW has reached more than 12,000 women with information about the importance of early breast cancer detection and has referred almost 8,000 women for mammograms and clinical breast exams.

“The continued support of Susan G. Komen Missouri over the past 9 years has allowed us to increase the number of women we are able to serve,” said Debra Custer, Program Manager with START NOW. “Thanks to Komen Missouri, we are able to build awareness about breast cancer and to help local women catch it in its earliest stages to improve healthcare outcomes.”

For more information on START NOW, call Debra Custer at (618) 332-6133.