VNA Care Network Awarded $22,000 Komen Foundation Grant
VNA Care Network recently received a grant for $22,000 from the Massachusetts affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in support of the agency's Breast Cancer Treatment Support Program for women in more than 200 Eastern and Central Massachusetts communities.
The program, which began in 2001, provides financial assistance stipends to women in need to help increase their access to breast cancer treatment and support their recovery. Stipends can be used for such things as transportation to treatment; child care or respite care; translation services; prosthetic undergarments, head coverings, or clothing needed during chemotherapy or after surgery; unpaid treatment costs; or medications.
"We want to help as many women as possible face and beat breast cancer without having to worry about such things as how they are going to pay for child care when they go for chemotherapy or how to afford the medication they need. These financial stipends have supported over 200 women during their treatment thanks to the generosity of the Komen Foundation," said Joan Schaefer, RN, coordinator for VNA Care Network's Breast Cancer Treatment Support Program.
This is the third year that the Massachusetts affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation has funded this program. The Komen Foundation, established by Nancy Brinker in memory of her sister who died of breast cancer at age 36, is a global leader in the fight against breast cancer through its support of innovative research and community-based service programs.
VNA Care Network's other breast cancer services include a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Women's Health Network to help women with limited or no insurance coverage access free mammograms, Pap tests, and cardiovascular disease screenings in numerous communities.
For more information about the Breast Cancer Treatment Support Program, contact Joan Schaefer, RN, at 888-663-3688, ext. 1264 or jschaefer@vnacarenetwork.org. For information about VNA Care Network's other services, call 800-728-1862.
Posted: May 28, 2004