On October 3, Pennsylvania will officially join the nationwide Komen Advocacy Alliance campaign with a special town hall event at the CBS 3 Television Studios. The Komen Community Challenge program aims to restore the sense of urgency to the breast cancer movement and close the gaps in research and access to care that cause some women to die of the disease more than others.

Speaker of the Pennsylvania House Dennis O’Brien (R-169th) will appear alongside local breast cancer survivors and advocates in an effort to call on the state’s policymakers to increase funding for the state’s Healthy Woman Program (HWP), which provides free breast and cervical cancer early detection services to low- and moderate-income women who are either uninsured or underinsured.  In addition, the forum will feature a discussion of potential federal health reforms by advisors to both presidential candidates.

In 2008, approximately 9,410 Pennsylvania women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 2,180 will die from the disease. The Pennsylvania Affiliates of Susan G. Komen for the Cure are calling on the legislature to increase its commitment to screening and early detection programs by $1 million in the next fiscal year.  This additional funding will allow 4,000 more women to receive lifesaving early detection services.  

“Like everything Komen does, activism of individuals in public policy is crucial to our success,” said Elaine I. Grobman, Executive Director of the Komen Philadelphia Affiliate.  “We want to help people learn about our public policy recommendations, offer them a chance to hear what their representatives do to support their health and wellbeing, give them the opportunity to make their concerns heard and helped them define their roles in this important aspect of the Komen mission.”

The forum, moderated by Pat Ciarrocchi of CBS 3 Eyewitness News, will feature the following panelists, and conclude with an audience Q&A:

• Dianne Kube, health care advisor to Senator John McCain
• Rebekah Gee, M.D., health care advisory to Senator Barack Obama
• Rep. Dennis O’Brien, Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
• Joanne Corte Grossi, Director, Pennsylvania Office of Women’s Services
• Lawrence Robinson, M.D.,  Deputy Health Commissioner, Philadelphia Department of Public Health
• Ari Brooks, M.D., Associate Professor, Chief of Surgical Oncology at Drexel University College of Medicine
• Breast cancer survivors

PA Governor’s Conference for Women
Although not directly connected to the Komen Community Challenge, this conference, held on October 2, in Pittsburgh had much to contribute to breast cancer awareness and policy needs, and featured Ambassador Nancy Brinker as a keynote speaker.  To learn more about the conference, visit http://www.pagovernorsconferenceforwomen.org

What would you do if you couldn't afford a mammogram, but you knew something was wrong?

Fortunately, in Pennsylvania we have the HealthyWoman Program - a program that provides free mammograms to low income and uninsured women. But because of lack of funds the program can only reach 10 percent of eligible women.

That's why the Komen Community Challenge is coming to Pennsylvania and urging our state legislators to help "close the gap" in access to lifesaving early detection services.

Join us by urging your state legislators to ensure that all women in our state have access to quality health care that could save their lives.

When breast cancer is detected early, patients have more treatment options and a greater rate of survival. Yet many Pennsylvania women do not have access to early detection services, and because of these gaps in the American health care system, a breast cancer diagnosis can be much deadlier for low-income women with little or no health insurance. These women are 41 percent more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer and they are three times more likely to lose their battle with the disease.

Right now, our state elected officials can help improve these statistics.

By funding the Pennsylvania HealthyWoman Program and expanding coverage of the program to include digital mammograms, the state legislature will ensure that more women, including those most disproportionately affected by breast cancer, will receive early detection and treatment services that can save their lives.

Please urge the Pennsylvania legislature to support funding for this critical program.

Together we can save lives and end breast cancer forever.