The Helping Her Live/Apoyándola a Vivir program at Sinai Urban Health Institute (SUHI) located in Mt. Sinai Hospital is committed to eliminating the disparities found in breast cancer mortality rates between minority and white women. Funded by the AVON Foundation the goal of the Helping Her Live program is to ensure that women in Humboldt Park and North Lawndale do not die unnecessarily from breast cancer.
There are huge disparities in the screening, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in minority women. Black women are dying from breast cancer at a much higher rate than white woman. In 2006, SUHI released an epidemiological study exploring black-white disparities in breast cancer. This specific study found that in 1980 black and white women in Chicago had the same rate of death yet in 2005 this drastically worsened for black women. Black women in Chicago are 68% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women. As for Hispanic women, SUHI has found that these women tend to get their mammograms less often than white woman, which can result in Hispanic women finding their breast cancer at a later stage increasing their chances of dying.
The Helping Her Live project hopes to empower women with knowledge on breast health, help women who are 40 years and older obtain annual screenings, and work with women and healthcare facilities to eliminate and ensure delays in obtaining test results and ensure follow up as needed. The staff of HHL anticipates accomplishing these goals by providing free workshops and Hotline services.
HHL community health educators are available to make a 30 minute interactive presentation in Spanish or English for anyone in the community interested in learning about breast health. Workshops present information on breast health, how to get low cost or free mammogram in your area, what to do if you have an abnormal mammogram, how to resolve a suspicious result, and how to obtain necessary follow up treatment services.
The HHL hotline is designed to help women navigate the healthcare system in their area and find services that are accessible to them. The Hotline serves as a tool for scheduling mammography appointments, receiving free or low cost mammograms (if the caller is uninsured), understanding mammography results, reminding women of their annual mammograms, and providing callers with answers to any questions or concerns they may have regarding breast health.
To learn more about the HHL program visit www.HelpingHerLive.org or you can call 1 877 HER LIF 2 (1-877-437-5432). To learn more about the Sinai Urban Health Institute, visit the Web site at www.suhichicago.org[/lang_en]