The Sunset Park Family Health Center at Lutheran held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday for its Early Intervention Cancer Education and Diagnostic Unit. Funding for the new unit comes from the New York State Department of Health Office of Minority Health Brooklyn COPA (Cancer Outreach/Prevention Alliance) grant. The five-year grant totals $500,000.
Cancer screening can save lives by preventing disease, catching cancer in its early stages and providing opportunities for treatment. Women in Southwest Brooklyn are less likely to get timely Pap tests for cervical cancer than women in Brooklyn and NYC overall. In addition, less than half of adults aged 50 and older in Southwest Brooklyn have had a colonoscopy in the past 10 years. The Brooklyn COPA project provides outreach, education, screening and diagnosis of breast, cervical, prostate and colorectal cancer among minority clients, who experience barriers in accessing prevention services because of lack of knowledge and lack of medical insurance.
“We know that early detection is the best protection for our community,” says Larry K. McReynolds, executive director, Lutheran Family Health Centers. “Cancer is the primary cause of premature death not only in Brooklyn but in New York City overall.”
In April the Lutheran Family Health Centers (LFHC) opened its new breast cancer screening suite. The new suite was constructed in part from a $250,000 ($125,000 for two years) grant to help battle breast cancer from the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade. Lutheran’s proposal, “Reducing Barriers to Quality Breast Diagnostics and Care for the Medically Underserved,” was accepted in 2006 awarding LFHC funding for two years. The Avon Foundation award allows LFHC to expand services to breast cancer patients with little or no medical coverage by purchasing a new mammography unit. Lutheran expects to screen an additional 7,000 women with the new machine. Additionally, the grant will help pay for outreach and education efforts to promote the importance of self-breast exams and regular mammography screenings.
Cancer screening is the first defense against cancer. Screening tests for early detection may include self-examinations, physical examinations by a health professional, X-rays or laboratory tests. The new cancer screening suite is located at the Sunset Park Family Health Center <http://www.lmcmc.com/facilities/family_health2.htm>, at 150 55th Street, Brooklyn. Free or reduced cost Breast and Cervical Cancer Screenings are provided to women who are uninsured or underinsured and have low income, for more information or to make an appointment please call 718-630-7208.
Source: The Lutheran Family Health Centers (LFHC)
