Susan G. Komen For The Cure, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Local Hospitals Call on Policymakers to Address Injustice and Unfairness in Breast Cancer Incidence and...( Komen Detroit Race for the Cure Joins...),Health

Komen Detroit Race for the Cure Joins Nationwide Campaign to Close the Gaps that Make Breast Cancer Deadlier for Low-Income Women and Women of Color

DETROIT, Oct. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Komen Detroit Race for the Cure, physicians and executives from five of metro Detroit's top hospitals and other community leaders gathered with hundreds of breast cancer survivors and advocates this evening at a "Close the Gap" Community Forum at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit. Dr. John C. Ruckdeschel, President & CEO, Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute; Michael E. Duggan, President & CEO, Detroit Medical Center; Dr. Joseph Anderson, Josephine Ford Cancer Center Specialist, Henry Ford Health System; Elliot Joseph, President & CEO, St. John Health; and Dr. Sophia Roumanis, Medical Director for Breast Care Services, The Center for Women's Health at Oakwood Healthcare System came together to discuss strategies for addressing high mortality rates in Wayne County and called on leaders at every level of government to address disparities in breast cancer survival rates and tremendous barriers that prevent low-income women from receiving care.

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"Michigan has been hard hit by breast cancer and low-income women and women of color have been hit the hardest," said Maureen Keenan Meldrum, chair, Komen Detroit Race for the Cure, and director, Breast Cancer Special Programs, for Karmanos Cancer Institute, the Local Presenting Sponsor for the Komen Detroit Race for the Cure. "We need to close the gaps in research, policy and access to quality care that make breast cancer deadlier for some women."

In the United States, a woman has about a 13 percent risk -- or a one in eight chance -- of developing breast cancer in her lifetime. Low-income women are more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer and are th
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