Breast Health Educational Workshop
Whittier Street Health Center's Breast Health Team

BOSTON, February 9, 2023 (Newswire.com) - A $500,000 grant was awarded to Whittier Street Health Center to expand its breast cancer screening program, in partnership with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Breast Cancer is the most common malignancy and second most lethal form of malignancy among women in the United States.

The grant awards come on the first anniversary of the Biden-Harris Administration's reignited Cancer Moonshot initiative, a call to action to reduce the cancer death rate in this country by at least 50% over the next 25 years and to support families living with and surviving cancer. 

According to a press release from the Health Resources Services Administration, the $11 million in 2023 awards doubles HRSA's investment in the Accelerating Cancer Screening Program from $5 million in 2022. The program focuses on leveraging outreach specialists and patient navigators to conduct patient outreach in underserved communities served by health centers to promote early detection of cancer, connect patients to screening services, and provide hands-on assistance with accessing high-quality cancer care and treatment as needed. In the release, Xavier Becerra, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, stated that the 22 grants totaling nearly $11 million is an investment in health centers working toward reducing the disparities in cancer screenings "across races, ethnicities, genders, and incomes." 

"We are grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration and HRSA for this grant that will allow us, in partnership with Dana-Farber, to offer life-saving breast cancer screenings and linkage to treatment and evaluation for patients from diverse backgrounds," said Frederica M. Williams, president and CEO of Whittier Street Health Center. "While it is true that cancer affects all population groups, disparities in screening, treatment, and cancer rate are disproportionate due to economic, social, and environmental disadvantages. With this grant, we hope to mitigate some of that disparity."

Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the United States, with approximately 600,000 deaths annually. Appropriate screening and timely follow-up care help to detect and prevent cancer. Yet, significant disparities continue to exist in cancer screening and follow-up care, including disparities based on an individual's income, insurance status, and race or ethnicity.