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By Komen Denver, March 2, 2010 2:01 pm

No matter our background or culture, every woman is unique and different. So, when it comes to our health and how we care for ourselves, not all women can be approached the same way. For more than a decade the Denver Metropolitan Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® has provided education, access and invaluable life-saving services to some of Colorado’s most underserved populations by hosting the Multicultural Conference.

This year’s conference had an amazing turn out of 300+ vibrant people from different ethnic backgrounds. The conference featured culturally appropriate workshops aimed at specific ethnic groups, informational sessions with medical professionals and food and entertainment – also offered the opportunity to understand our similarities and differences, share information, learn more about breast health care and meet women of diverse cultures and backgrounds.

The Multicultural Conference is sponsored by the American Cancer Society, the Women’s Wellness Connection and the Comprehensive Cancer Program.

Other members of the Conference’s planning committee included: the Asian Pacific Development Center, the Breast Cancer Network of Strength, the Center for African American Health, Clínica Tepeyac, the Colorado Cancer Research Program, the Colorado Asian Health and Education Promotion, the Deaf Community, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Jewish Family Services, Native American Cancer Research, the Philippine Nurses Association, Salud y Vida, and the Thai Buddhist Temple.

Take a look at images from the Multicultural Conference on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/komendenver

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By Komen Denver, December 28, 2009 11:12 am

At the Denver Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® we have high expectations for 2010; we think it’s going to be a GREAT year! Our hearts are full of hope and optimism!! But, we’d like to remind everyone that we still need your help and that there is still plenty of time to give generously to the cause.

As part of your New Year’s resolution, we hope that you will join us in our fight against breast cancer by making your tax-deductible year-end gift today The simple fact is that the needs in our community are outpacing the dollars the Komen Denver Affiliate has to provide assistance. The fact is that despite being able to give more than $2.8 million to 35 different organizations throughout our service area during this past year, there were more than $1 million in requests we were unable to consider.

Nicole Davis and Daughter Abigail (Courtesy of Sandy Puc' Studios)

Please help us continue to be able to provide assistance and education to women across Colorado, no matter their age, race or economic situation. Women like Nicole Davis, who just last year, at the age of 25 and a brand new mom, was diagnosed with breast cancer. And women like 63-year-old Jeanette Oxelson, who, because she was uninsured at the time she discovered the lump in breast, spent critical months being turned away by “the system” until finally, by the grace and good luck of her “angels” (and her own dogged determination to not take “no” for an answer, especially when her life was on the line!!), received a grant from the Affiliate to be treated at the Caritas Clinic.

The difference you can make: $100 could pay for one mammogram or one day of post-surgery home health care; $250 ($20 per month) could cover five clinical breast exams; $500 ($41 per month) could provide five diagnostic ultrasounds; and $1000 could allow us to provide 10 mammograms for those who might otherwise go without. Of the funds raised by the Affiliate, 75 percent stays in our local community and is awarded to nonprofits providing breast cancer education, screening, treatment, and support services for medically underserved individuals. The remaining 25 percent funds international breast cancer research.

Make your tax-deductible year-end gift today by visiting www.komendenver.org and clicking on the “Donate Now” button.

We thank you for your support and generosity.

Happy New Year from the Denver Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

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By Komen Denver, July 30, 2009 4:55 pm

Jeanette Oxelson (Photo Courtesy of Sandy Puc)

This week’s Boulder Weekly’s cover story focuses on how Colorado is falling behind in its treatment in women with breast and cervical cancer. The story features Jeanette Oxelson and her journey of being diagnosed with breast cancer without insurance. The story features an especially harrowing detail:

And although Jeanette should have met the income and residency requirements to get assistance from Medicaid for her breast cancer treatment, it turned out that she had made one mistake: she walked through the wrong door in her search for a diagnosis. That’s because in Colorado, where you get a diagnosis for cervical cancer or breast cancer determines your eligibility for Medicaid.

Walk through the wrong door, and you fall through the cracks.

As we’ve stated previously, a new report finds Colorado is among the most restrictive states for access to medicaid for women with breast and cervical cancer. The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Denver Affiliate works hard to ensure treatment for women whose insurance doesn’t cover the treatment. You can help us help women like Jeanette by purchasing a breast cancer license plate where a $25 fee will go towards closing the gap between insurance and treatment needs. You can also donate to Susan G. Komen Denver Affiliate or join Race for the Cure, where 25 percent of the money raised went towards treatment.

You can also read Jeanette Oxelson’s electronic journal, “The Odyssey and the Apathy”, at Boulder Weekly.

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By Komen Denver, July 7, 2009 2:14 pm

Colorado women face significant barriers to cancer screening and treatment, despite federal money available to pay for these services, a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) says. Uninsured and underinsured women in Colorado already know what the GAO study confirms: Colorado is one of the 16 most restrictive states in the nation when it comes to connecting low-income women with diagnosis and treatment.

Two of the findings really troubled us as an organization. The first was that due to a lack of funding, more than half of eligible low-income, uninsured and underinsured women nationwide are not receiving recommended breast cancer screening.

The second is that in more than a dozen states, including Colorado, have left in place restrictions to Medicaid coverage for breast and cervical cancer screening that effectively eliminate all but a small fraction of low-income women, leaving the rest with few options for assistance.

“Whether you live shouldn’t depend on where you live,” said Michele Ostrander, Executive Director of the Denver Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  “Regretfully, this report confirms what we’ve long seen – that in our state your ability to be treated for breast cancer often depends on whether you went to the ‘right’ clinic, or live in a city or rural area.”

Few statewide options for treatment are available to low-income, uninsured women who are diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer but ineligible for Medicaid under the Treatment Act. This year, the Komen Denver Affiliate is providing more than $700,000 to help fill the treatment gap locally, and providing an additional $2.1 million for breast cancer screening, diagnostics and treatment support in the 12-county area surrounding Denver.