Women Helping Women celebrates ‘coming of age’ in 21st year

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Cathy Allen and Myra Bleill talk at the Women Helping Women dinner. (Tom Russo | Daily Reporter)

GREENFIELD — Hundreds of Hancock County residents gathered at Adaggio’s Banquet Hall on Thursday, Oct. 24, to sip cocktails, bid on auction items and celebrate an important 21st birthday in style — the 21st annual Women Helping Women, a community fundraiser that helps women in the county access important health services.

Hancock Health Foundation executive director Nancy Davis said Women Helping Women has become a pillar of breast cancer awareness and advocacy in the community over the past two decades.

“This year, we’re celebrating Women Helping Women’s 21st birthday. For many, this is a milestone that represents a coming of age, and that’s true for us as well,” Davis said. “Back when the program began in 1998, we paid for 26 mammograms. Now, we’ve expanded our scope of services and are truly caring for the whole woman, from ultrasounds and MRIs to bone density tests and prescription assistance, all for women in our community who are uninsured or underinsured.”

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The event raised over $125,000 in 2018. Allyson Smith, the sponsorship chair for the event, said the committee hoped to raise even more funds at this year’s sold-out event.

In 2018, Women Helping Women paid for patient care including 52 screening services, 50 diagnostic services including 10 biopsies, 62 pap smears and pelvic exams, as well as ultrasounds, breast MRIs and bone density screenings. A total of 198 patients were served.

Women Helping Women funds go to support the Andis Women’s Clinic at Hancock Regional Hospital, which provides free services to women in financial need. The clinic was established in 1999.

Clinic director Becky Pohland said women lack insurance for a variety of economic reasons — some may have had their work hours cut by their employers specifically so they do not have to provide insurance, or they find themselves suddenly uninsured after losing a job they’ve had for many years or after a divorce. Others cannot afford to use the high-deductible insurance plans they have.

“There are a lot of uninsured and underinsured women in Hancock County,” Pohland said.

Pohland said the clinic initially focused on mammograms, but quickly expanded to a broader range of health services. It is supported financially by the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the Indiana Breast and Cervical Cancer Program, but Pohland said Women Helping Women donations make a huge difference.

Pohland said government programs often do not pay for mammograms until age 50, but medical recommendations promote the screening for younger women.

“We want women to get mammograms starting at age 40,” Pohland said. “We’re seeing younger and younger cases of breast cancer.”

Pohland said it is a “privilege” to be able to help women get the health services they need, especially if they have not been able to afford them in the past.

“A lot of women are just very relieved to have a place where they can come and get that done,” Pohland said. “There’s no Planned Parenthood in Hancock County; there’s no other place. Jane Pauley (Community Health Center) is available, but they don’t do a lot of women’s health. There’s also a sliding fee. Our services, if they qualify, are completely free.”

If patients are diagnosed with breast cancer, they have a long road ahead of them of seeking treatment and finding a way to pay for it. Pohland said the clinic tries to help them through that process as well, and to find doctors who can provide financial assistance.

“The hospital’s very good, and if patients are treated here, they will not abandon them,” Pohland said.

Women Helping Women also allows them to provide services that are not covered by grants, like pelvic exams and bone density screenings. This year, Women Helping Women attendees were able to make donations to fund specific needs at the clinic, including those services as well as prescription assistance and a new exam table.

The evening’s guest speakers were Marquez and Nathan Green, 21-year-old twins who competed on “American Ninja Warrior.” The brothers used their appearance on the TV show, which features contestants competing on an obstacle course, to raise awareness about breast cancer after losing their mother to the disease.

The twins were contacted by the Hancock Health Foundation about speaking at the event and said they were happy to accept.

“After the show, a lot of people have reached out to us saying how thankful they are that we’re sharing our story about our mom, and it gives them the motivation to keep going and pursue their dream,” Marquez said. “We wanted to share our story and inspire those who have gone through similar situations.”

The Greens’ mother, a single mom of four, was diagnosed with breast cancer when they were 4 years old and died when they were 14.

“She always kept us in the loop; she never hid anything,” Marquez said. “She always informed us about what was going on with her treatments, her appointments. So it made us really close, because we did have that communication. When it came to the time that she knew that she was losing her battle, she even told us that too.”

Nathan said they were eager to participate in Women Helping Women because financial assistance makes a critical difference for women dealing with breast cancer.

“Our mom had financial difficulties when it came to paying for treatment and staying on top of rent and raising four kids as a single mom,” Nathan said. “When we heard about this event and events like this, it just means so much because we know our mom could have desperately used this.”

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The Kaiser Family Foundation tracks a wide variety of statistics on breast cancer in the United States. Here are some of the key facts:

–One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes.

–Breast cancer is most common among women who are middle-aged and older, with 70 percent of those diagnosed being over age 55.

–In 2019, there will be a predicted 268,600 new cases of breast cancer and 41,760 deaths attributed to the disease.

–Most breast cancer cases are caught in the early stages; 62 percent of people with breast cancer will be diagnosed before the disease has spread to other areas of their bodies.

–Men can develop breast cancer, but it is very rare. In 2019, there are predicted to be approximately 2,760 cases of male breast cancer.

–Current Health Resources and Services Administration guidelines state that women should begin getting regular mammograms no earlier than age 40 and no later than age 50.

–Nationwide, a 2015 survey found that 58 percent of women ages 40-49 and 72 percent of women ages 50-74 reported having had a mammogram in the past two years

–Among women ages 40-64, 72 percent of those with private insurance reported having a mammogram in the past year. Fifty-eight percent of women on Medicaid reported having one in the past year, while only 30 percent of uninsured women did.

–Mammography rates vary across states. Indiana is one of only 12 states where over 75 percent of women age 40 and above have had a mammogram in the past year.

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