Grantee Spotlight

Adelphi NY Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline & Support Program

Grants Help Provide Life-Enhancing Services to Breast Cancer Patients Throughout New York State

During Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October, we are pleased to pass along this update from the Adelphi NY Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline & Support Program:

Grants received from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation have enabled the Adelphi NY Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline & Support Program to provide life-enhancing services to breast cancer patients throughout New York State. Our Breast Education, Screening and Treatment (BEST) project supports low-income patients throughout the continuum of care.

The BEST project is implemented in medically underserved communities in three components: breast health education, free or low-cost breast cancer screening referrals, and licensed social work services for diagnosed patients — regardless of health insurance or immigration status.

Participants at the Celebration of Survivorship event, including speaker Sandra Alleyne, left.

During October, our program has been buzzing with community outreach, educational programming, and special events. Recent highlights include community outreach at the Yes We Can center for LICIL’s Hispanic Outreach Community Resource Fair (LICIL provides bilingual services to individuals with disabilities) and Catholic Health, Mercy Hospital’s #PINKtember event.

In addition, the National Coalition of 100 Black Women invited our program to participate in their Breast Cancer Awareness event: Stand Strong Against Breast Cancer, where one of our bilingual social workers was invited to be a panelist. Breast Health workshops continue to be facilitated by our staff with Circulo de la Hispanidad for their Domestic Violence group members, and with Neighborhood SHOPP on Breast Cancer and Caregiving.

In the midst of this programming, public health and social work services continue. Staff are attending health fairs, some of which had not been held in over two years. Breast health workshops are underway and mammography referrals are being made along with patient navigation so women and men can access life-saving cancer screenings.

At Nassau University Medical Center, our bilingual social workers are part of the interdisciplinary team and continue to work on-site and meet every newly diagnosed breast cancer patient to provide them with licensed counseling, psychosocial support, and concrete needs via emergency taxi transportation and food cards.

On October 20, we held our signature event, Celebration of Survivorship, at which a diverse panel of speakers shared their breast cancer journeys and provided inspiration and empowerment. It was an impactful event filled with hope and resilience for the breast cancer community.

Thank you to the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation for your grant supporting our BEST Program. The program is here to serve the needs of those coping with breast cancer across New York State. To reach the Adelphi NY Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline & Support Program, call (800) 877-8077 or visit our website.