The Gillette Company Funds Breast and Cervical Cancer Program

With support from The Gillette Company, the YWCA of Greater Lawrence has improved its ability to link medically underserved and uninsured women to breast and cervical cancer screenings in the Merrimack Valley and northeast region of Massachusetts.

The substantial donation invests in the YWCA’s successful grassroots model to reach, educate and link to screening women who otherwise do not access preventive health care.

The Gillette Company’s commitment to community includes a particular dedication to cancer screening, research, support, and treatment. In 1997, The Gillette Company established the Center for Women’s Cancers in partnership with Dana Farber and Partners Health Care at Massachusetts General Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Later, the company launched the Gillette Women’s Cancer Connection at www.gillettecancerconnect.org to link women and their families to a network of support and information.

Locally, the YWCA Women’s Health Advocacy Program puts Gillette Company funding to work with small employers, churches, women activists, beauty parlors, social service agencies and the medical community to identify at-risk women and motivate them to get a mammogram and Pap test. Some women are eligible for free medical screenings and others are funded with private donations and grants.

In addition, the YWCA of Greater Lawrence has collaborated with other YWCAs and organizations with similar outreach programs in partnership with the Department of Public Health’s Women’s Health Network to share effective practices and raise awareness of resources in the region. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce the mortality rate for women’s cancers among the poorest and hardest-to-reach women.

Together, in the first six months of funding from The Gillette Company, this partnership linked 462 women to screening and educated nearly 2,500 directly in group and individual sessions.

In Lawrence, YWCA services are completely bilingual and delivered by Latina educators who have become community leaders regarding health and wellness issues locally.

In addition to pre-screening education and support, YWCA staff also provide support during medical visits, screenings and throughout any follow up care that may be necessary.

“Latinas face major socio-economic barriers to accessing preventive health services,” explains Vilma Lora, Women’s Health Advocacy Director. “The combined effects of limited education, literacy and income can block a woman’s ability to know the facts about preventive care and to access it. Our program works to break down all those barriers.”

The Department of Public Health will be working in the coming year with the YWCA to develop a system of peer education, designed to keep women linked to preventive breast and cervical cancer screenings.
The Gillette Company’s donation will be joined with other support to make sure working poor and unemployed women do not fall through the cracks and go without screenings or follow up. Other supporters include The Lenny Fund, the McCarthy Family Foundation, the United Way of Merrimack Valley, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation / Boston Affiliate and private donations from YWCA supporters.

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