RMH Receives Grant from Susan G. Komen

6/27/2011

Richland Memorial Hospital was recently a recipient of a grant through the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Greater Evansville Affiliate. Over $18,000 was awarded for the purpose of salaries, patient care services and supplies and equipment related to breast health awareness activities.

RMH has been the recipient of grants from the Komen Foundation, as well as grants from Illinois Department of Public Health Office of Women’s Health, in the past and has ongoing events as well as new events planned to educate community members about breast health awareness. The main purpose of this grant is designed to reach rural/underserved individuals with the fundamentals of breast health. Through this grant, RMH will be able to distribute free mammograms to women who either do not have health insurance, or have a very high insurance deductible, which may discourage them from having a regular mammogram.

Richland Memorial Hospital has several goals that it plans to achieve due to the help of this grant. Some activities have been ongoing occurrences with the hospital while others will be in their first year of implementation.

One of the new activities is to create “Woman to Woman” support networks between women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and women who have agreed to volunteer as mentors who have previously experienced breast cancer. Liesl Wingert, the Outreach Specialist with RMH, will facilitate the relationship and serve as a resource person when needed.

“The Woman to Woman program will reach out to women on a one-on-one basis and give them that much-needed support by way of ‘a friend that has been-there-done-that’.  These women will not have to wait for a monthly support meeting to talk to someone – they will pick up the phone and call their mentor and have that emotional need met more immediately.  I think that it will be a great opportunity for those patients to connect and relate on an as-needed basis,” explains Wingert.

Another new outreach program is geared toward the younger generation. Wingert plans on working with East and West Richland School Districts to reach high school aged girls through the “Ribbon Chicks” part of the Komen program. Wingert will feature a speaker who has experienced early onset of breast cancer to show young girls that it is important to be aware of any changes with your breasts, even at a young age.

“Young women, especially teens, need to understand that good breast health begins with them!  The younger that a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, the more aggressive and deadly it is.  However, we also know that the earlier that it is detected, the greater chance that they will have of treating it completely.  Therefore, we need to be out there educating our young women about breast health and making them comfortable with the topic at a younger age (teens),” comments Wingert.

“Pink” days are also a new event that RMH will promote through the funds provided by this grant. The idea behind “Pink” days is to get at least six businesses to establish pink days to promote breast awareness among employees and patrons.

“Corporate Pink Days will be a fun awareness event in which an area corporation can promote breast health awareness at their work site using simple tools that RMH will provide to them.  When we take awareness to the workplace, there is an 8-hour span of work time in which employees have the opportunity to get good information for themselves and family members, as well as promote good breast health to those who are watching the participation in the program.”  

Since RMH has been the recipient of this grant in previous years, there are also outreach programs that have already been established and will continue to be provided to the community. “An Evening Health Conversation for Women” at a local coffee house was a highly attended event that began a few years back and will continue to feature guest speakers and lots of beneficial health information for women. RMH also prides itself in doing its best to remind women when it is time for their annual mammogram. Reminder cards are distributed via postcards to women near their one year anniversary to remind them that it is time to schedule an appointment for their annual mammogram.

Wingert also attends several health fairs, county fairs and other events to distribute outreach information to attendees.

This grant helps to provide Richland Memorial Hospital with additional resources to promote breast health awareness. RMH has made great strides over the past year to continue efforts in early detection by purchasing a state-of-the-art digital mammography unit. This unit is the best that is currently on the market and provides radiologists with clear, precise images.

For further information or to see if you would be able to receive a free mammogram through this grant, please contact RMH Diagnostic Imaging Services at (618) 395-7340 ext. 4118.