Summit to Fight Breast Cancer Disparity

Members of the R.E.D. Alliance, the group hosting the Breast Health Summit on Feb. 25.

African-American women are 42 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than white women. The Catherine Peachey Fund has always made funding triple-negative breast cancer a funding priority. There is no targeted therapy for any patient with triple-negative breast cancer, which occurs most often in African-American women and younger women. When the Catherine Peachey Fund learned of the upcoming Breast Health Summit on Feb. 25 in Indianapolis, being hosted by the R.E.D. (Reaching to End Disparities) Alliance, we were thrilled to jump on board as a sponsor. This free summit will give health professionals and community members tools for fighting this disparity and together finding solutions to reduce the breast cancer death rate for women most susceptible to developing triple-negative breast cancer.

The Catherine Peachey Fund, a program of the Heroes Foundation, has been a member of the R.E.D. Alliance since its inception. This organization takes a unique approach to addressing the disparity in breast cancer mortality among African-American women in Indianapolis by meeting these women where they are: in their places of worship and faith-based communities. There are many reasons for the inequality in death rates, including, but not limited to, financial issues, a lack of access to the best medical care and cultural mores that inhibit some women from discussing breast health concerns.

Through faith-based programs, the R.E.D. Alliance provides education and support, and connects African-American women to timely, affordable, accessible breast health services.  The R.E.D. team directs women to interventions aimed at improving access to high-quality mammography screenings, diagnostic services and treatments at health institutions in Indianapolis, working to reduce health care inequities.

The Catherine Peachey Fund is proud and happy to be sponsoring the Stay Alert, Stay Alive: Breast Health Summit. Like the R.E.D. Alliance, we are passionate about tackling triple-negative breast cancer and eliminating the disparity in breast cancer mortality.

The inaugural Stay Alert, Stay Alive: Breast Health Summit take place Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m., at the Indianapolis Urban League. To support opportunities like the Breast Health Summit, please give to the Catherine Peachey Fund or the Heroes Foundation general fund. Visit our Donate page.