Flanked by other colleagues at Community Health Northwest Florida, CEO Chandra Smiley and COO Natasha Howard accept the $50,00 contribution from the Pensacola Breast Cancer Association.
Again this year, Community Health Northwest Florida is the proud recipient of a $50,000 donation from the Pensacola Breast Cancer Association.
The PBCA made the presentation on October 4 at its 15th annual Ribbons of Hope Charity Ball at Pensacola Yacht Club, in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The PBCA provides direct support to local community health initiatives, such as funding free mammograms for the underinsured and uninsured at Community Health to ensure local access to care.
Donations from PBCA help fund screening services for women and men who lack adequate insurance coverage. The primary goal is to remove cost as a barrier to needed breast cancer screening and early detection.
“We are so grateful and honored to receive this donation from the Pensacola Breast Cancer Association to help meet the needs of our patients,” says Chandra Smiley, CEO of CHNWF. “Because of their support, we are able to fulfill our mission to provide quality healthcare and to achieve our goal to put healthcare within reach of those who need it most.”
Health screenings are a vitally important step in being proactive about breast cancer. Thanks in part to mammograms and treatment, breast cancer death rates in the U.S. have dropped by 44 percent since 1989.
That’s no coincidence. For more 40 years, Breast Cancer Awareness Month has helped raise awareness of breast cancer and encouraged millions to take action. The result has been increased early detection and advancements in treatment that have saved more than a half-million lives.
To be sure, mammograms and regular screenings can catch breast cancer in its earlier stages, improving survival rates. Early detection provides more treatment options and a better chance of full recovery.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month is about showing solidarity with survivors and those currently battling the disease. Providing emotional and practical support — like the generous donation from the PBCA — can make a significant impact for healthcare providers and the patients they serve.
Community Health Northwest Florida provides mammograms and other Women’s Care in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
