NORWICH – The Avon Breast Health Outreach Program has awarded a $59,000 one-year grant to Chenango Health Network to increase awareness of the life-saving benefits of early detection of breast cancer. It is the tenth year the program has received funding from the Avon Foundation for Women to support its work on this important health issue, and in recognition of the program’s excellence.

The Every Woman Counts in Chenango County Campaign at Chenango Health Network will educate Chenango County women and refer them to low-cost or free mammograms and clinical breast exams in their own communities. This vital program will also challenge 700 Chenango County women to seek breast cancer screenings.

Since 2010, the Every Woman Counts in Chenango County Campaign at Chenango Health Network has reached more than 25,000 women with information about the importance of early detection of breast cancer and has referred almost 3,000 women for mammograms and clinical breast exams.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, 15,230 new cases of breast cancer will be detected in New York State this year and 2,390 lives will be lost. Nationwide, there is a new diagnosis every three minutes and a death from breast cancer every 13 minutes. While advances have been made in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure, early detection still affords the best opportunity for successful treatment. Programs such as the Every Woman Counts in Chenango County Campaign help ensure that all women have access to early detection information and options, even poor and medically underserved women.

“We are grateful that we will be able to continue to meet our objective to reach women of Chenango County to offer services that will educate and allow women to access their yearly clinical breast exam and mammogram. It is wonderful that the Avon Foundation for Women shares our mission to assist medically underserved women to receive breast health education and screening services in our rural community,” said Lori Kemmerer, Cancer Outreach Coordinator.

Since 1993, the Avon Foundation has awarded more than $72.4 million through 1,700 grants to 249 community-based breast health programs across the U.S., including the Every Woman Counts in Chenango County Campaign at Chenango Health Network. These programs are dedicated to educating underserved women about breast cancer and linking them to early detection screening services.

For more information on the Every Woman Counts in Chenango County Campaign at Chenango Health Network, please call Lori Kemmerer at 607-337-4128. For more information about breast cancer, contact the American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345 or www.cancer.org, or the National Cancer Institute at 1-800-4-CANCER or www.cancer.gov.

To learn more about the Avon Foundation for Women, call 1-866-505-AVON or visit www.avonfoundation.org, where you can access free printable Breast Health Resource Guides in English and Spanish. For information or to register or support the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer events, visit www.avonwalk.org or call 1-888-540-WALK.