Representative Doris Matsui and Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern pay visit to see firsthand work addressing LGBTQ + health needs
SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Albie Aware Breast Cancer Foundation announced a new program that will expand breast cancer prevention and early detection programs serving Sacramento’s LGBTQ+ population. The Prevent Cancer Foundation recently awarded Albie Aware Breast Cancer Foundation (Albie Aware), the largest nonprofit organization dedicated solely to breast cancer in the greater Sacramento area, with a $25,000 grant that will provide Albie Aware with the resources needed to run the program. Albie Aware is the only nonprofit in Northern California to receive a Prevent Cancer Foundation grant this year.
“Albie Aware has always been committed to supporting people facing breast cancer in the Sacramento area. This grant is going to extend our services to the LGBTQ+ community that has been overseen too often,” said Courtney Quinn, Executive Director of Albie Aware.
Compared to non-LGBTQ+ heterosexuals, the LGBTQ+ community reports much lower rates of satisfaction and quality in health care settings, as individuals in this community regularly face delays or denials of medically necessary care. The program, led by Albie Aware, will begin to close these gaps of care by bringing together local organizations throughout the region to provide free, mobile, and culturally competent breast cancer screenings for the LGBTQ+ community. At least 90 individuals, many of whom may lack access to cancer prevention and early detection services, will receive mammograms through this grant.
“We are thrilled to present Albie Aware with this grant that will improve breast cancer care and increase access to early screenings through a mobile mammography program,” said Lisa McGovern, Executive Director of the Congressional Families Program. “When it comes to breast cancer care, Sacramento’s LGBTQ+ residents have unique concerns and barriers to care that require thoughtful solutions – accessible and inclusive screenings are that type of solution.”
To advance its goal of reducing cancer deaths by 40% by 2035, Prevent Cancer Foundation awarded a total of $250,000 to 10 organizations across the country dedicated to increasing cancer prevention and early detection in LGBTQ+ communities. The projects were selected through a competitive process and were chosen as a result of their direct impact on LGBTQ+ community members.
