VNA Will Serve 190 People Facing Breast Cancer Thanks to $116,176 in Funding from Susan G. Komen® Great Plains and Komen® Greater Iowa
Susan G. Komen® Great Plains has awarded an $85,000 grant to Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) to help breast cancer patients in Nebraska meet their financial, emotional and social support needs. Susan G. Komen® Greater Iowa has also awarded VNA a $31,176 grant to meet this same need in Cass County, Iowa, and Thurston and Dakota Counties, Nebraska.
The grants from the two Komen affiliates will support VNA’s Breast Cancer Patient Assistance Program, which provides financial assistance, emotional support and system navigation to women and men who are undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Research has shown services that reduce financial and other stress for cancer patients improve their quality of life and lead to better treatment outcomes. In addition to providing financial assistance for daily living expenses, the program’s Patient Advocate works with partners across the state of Nebraska and in southwest Iowa to connect program participants with resources that support their treatment and recovery.
“VNA’s breast cancer assistance program is central to our mission to improve people’s quality of life. We are fortunate to partner with Susan G. Komen to help Nebraskans and Iowans impacted by breast cancer focus on their healing and live with more hope and comfort,” said VNA President and CEO James Summerfelt.
Komen Great Plains is one of more than seventy local affiliates of the world’s largest breast cancer organization, working in communities across the U.S. to meet the most critical needs. To help achieve Komen’s goal to reduce current breast cancer deaths by 50 percent in the U.S. by 2026, Komen affiliates fund innovative breast health projects that provide vitally needed breast cancer screening, diagnostic and treatment services and support, including patient navigation, education, medical supplies and financial assistance.
“Susan G. Komen was founded on a promise between two sisters to make things better for those facing breast cancer. Because of the generosity of donors, Komen Great Plains can continue that promise to the people we serve by providing life-saving local programs and groundbreaking research,” said Karen Daneu, CEO, Susan G. Komen Great Plains.
###
About Visiting Nurse Association
After more than a century, Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) continues to provide valued expertise, comforting perspective, innovative leadership and industry-leading solutions around the health issues of the day in the communities we serve. Our team of more than 400 compassionate healthcare professionals is dedicated to shaping tomorrow’s care, today, by providing the highest quality care to individuals at home and across the community – no matter their age, station in life or available resources. To learn more about VNA’s unique commitment to fostering a healthy, thriving community, and the services available to meet each client’s ever-changing needs, visit vnatoday.org or call 402-342-5566.
About Susan G. Komen and Komen Great Plains and Greater Iowa
Susan G. Komen is the world’s largest breast cancer organization, funding more breast cancer research than any other nonprofit outside of the U.S. government while providing real-time help to those facing the disease. Komen has set a Bold Goal to reduce the current number of breast cancer deaths by 50 percent in the U.S. by 2026. Since its founding in 1982, Komen has funded more than $988 million in research and provided more than $2.2 billion in funding to screening, education, treatment and psychosocial support programs. Komen has worked in more than 60 countries worldwide. Komen was founded by Nancy G. Brinker, who promised her sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would end the disease that claimed Suzy’s life.
Komen Great Plains and Komen Greater Iowa are working to better the lives of those facing breast cancer in the local community. Komen Great Plains has invested $9 million in community breast health programs in Nebraska and South Dakota and has helped contribute to the more than $988 million invested globally in research. For more information, call 402-502-2979 or visit komengreatplains.org. Komen Greater Iowa provides funding to hospitals, clinics and agencies to promote a continuum of care for those seeking breast health services; they also support cutting-edge, global breast cancer research through the Komen Scholars network. For more information, visit komengreateriowa.org.
Share this article:
