FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 25, 2005

ATHENS, Ga--A $50,000 grant to the East Georgia Cancer Coalition will fund breast cancer screening and education for underserved women in Northeast Georgia.

The East Georgia Cancer Coaltion was one of 24 awards funded by the Georgia Cancer Coalition from monies derived from the sale of state breast cancer license tages. More than $1 million was awarded.

Headquartered in Athens, the East Georgia Cancer Coaltion is part of a state-wide organization created to coordinate cancer-dedicated expenditures from the State's share of the National Tobacco Settlement Trust Fund. The East Georgia Cancer Coaltion is one of six regional programs of excellence in the state. The organization serves 29 counties of Northeast Georgia. The grant will focus on 12 counties that have no certified mammography facilities.

"Many of our counties lack the medical facilities and certified mammography services found in more urban/metropolitan settings," says Marilyn Hill, director of operations and programs. "Women in neglected, hard to reach communities are underinsured, have no insurance and lack transportation. These combined factors are deterrents to accessing health related prevention and screening services. It is therefore imperative that needed services be brought to these communities."

According to Hill, the Georgia Cancer Data Report 2000 demonstrated that breast cancer was the second leading cause of cancer death in Georgia females and accounted for 18% of cancer deaths in the year of study. Early detection has been credited with a decrease in breast cancer mortality rates. "We know that 80% of the uninsured women. We are confident that with the assistance of this grant, providing access to mobile mammography services will increase the screening rate in underserved, neglected communities," says Hill.

Counties targeted by this grant include Banks, Madison, Oglethorpe, Columbia, Glascock, Hancock, Jenkins, Johnson, Lincoln, Taliaferro, Warren, and Wilkes.