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Highlights from Past Events
The Komen Community Challenge is on the move – and making lots of friends along the way!

Here are highlights from our recent events
 
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Detroit, Michigan

Why Detroit, Michigan?

Wayne County was identified in The Breast Cancer Mortality Report: Closing the Gaps in Eight Communities as one of eight U.S. communities with alarmingly high breast cancer mortality rates. The Detroit Komen Community Challenge brought together hospital executives, policymakers, community leaders, breast cancer survivors, and others to “get Wayne County off the list.” Detroit was the twelfth stop of this nationwide tour to rally communities to Close the Gaps that make breast cancer deadlier for some women.

Did you know?

African American women in Michigan are dying of breast cancer at a higher rate (34 per 100,000) than white women (23 per 100,000).

Did you know?

Thirteen percent, or more than 400,000 non-elderly Michigan women, are uninsured and do not have access to preventive health care services. Uninsured women are 30 to 50 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than women with insurance.

Public Policy Challenges

The Michigan Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program is the number one safety net that allows under- and uninsured women access to life-saving breast and cervical cancer screening. MIBCCCP is a successful program, but -- at current funding levels -- reaches only a fraction of the women who are eligible for services. Even though Michigan is in a difficult fiscal period, supporting MIBCCCP is the most effective way to diagnosis breast cancer at an early stage, treat it at a lower cost, and Close the Gaps that make breast cancer deadlier for some women.

Rene Syler shares her story

The Event

On October 23, 2007, 200 people crowded the Max Fisher Music Hall to launch the Detroit Komen Community Challenge. Rene Syler, the former host of CBS News’ The Early Show, served as emcee and shared her personal story, which included the decision to have a bilateral prophylactic mastectomy in 2007. Also at the event, Rene announced that she would serve as an Ambassador in Komen’s new campaign, The Circle of Promise, which encourages African American women to make a promise to take control of their health and share life-saving information with other women.

Five of the most important leaders in Michigan’s health care industry shared their ideas for helping to move Wayne County off the list and took questions from the audience: Michael E. Duggan, President and CEO of the Detroit Medical Center; Dr. Joseph Anderson, Josephine Ford Cancer Center Specialist at Henry Ford Health System; Elliot Joseph, President and CEO of St. John Health; Dr. Sophia Roumanis, Medical Director for Breast Care Services within The Center for Women’s Health at Oakwood Healthcare System; and Dr. John C. Ruckdeschel, President and CEO of the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute.

Outcomes and Next Steps

With Michigan in a budget crisis, the Detroit Komen Community Challenge rallied the community to step up their commitments to Close the Gaps that make breast cancer deadlier for some women. For example:

  • A group of spouses of the Detroit Pistons announced that the Pistons-Palace Foundation, in partnership with National City and MyTV20, would provide funding for 50 diagnostic mammograms to low-income women at the Karmanos Cancer Institute.
  • Wayne County Executive Bob Ficano promised to mail reminder cards to female enrollees in the PlusCare program to inform them of the importance of getting annual mammograms, which is a covered benefit of the program.
  • The Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants promised to disseminate information about the importance of breast cancer screenings when assisting low-income clients with tax preparation.

The work of the Detroit Komen Community Challenge continues. Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s Michigan affiliates continue to advocate for level funding of the MIBCCCP program and work with the Detroit Breast Cancer Brain Trust, now with more partners than ever, to Close the Gaps. Because African American women in Detroit and around the country face clear and deadly disparities in breast cancer care and access, Komen’s The Circle of Promise campaign is engaging African American women in the fight against breast cancer by fostering increased awareness, support, empowerment, and action.

We need your help to Close the Gaps in Michigan. Please tell your legislators to make breast cancer a priority. And consider becoming an Ambassador with the Circle of Promise campaign.