Eligible patients in northwestern West Virginia will benefit from a Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation grant that will help Memorial Health System provide free breast cancer screening and mammography services.

“The Benedum Foundation is proud to support this effort,” said Benedum Foundation Vice President and Program Director Kim Tieman. “Improving access to preventive care is one of the most effective ways to strengthen health in rural West Virginia.”

With the $80,000 received, Memorial will also be able to raise awareness for early breast cancer detection and expand access to resources. It will fund approximately 400 mammograms, and follow-up testing for those who need it. It’s a grant that will truly save lives.

“This grant allows us to reach patients who might otherwise delay or skip screening,” said Sistersville General Hospital Administrator Jason Suter. “By making mammograms free and available close to home, we can help find cancer earlier and improve outcomes for individuals in our communities.”

Residents of rural West Virginia can live as far as 50 miles from the nearest mammogram site. The Free Mammogram Breast Screening Program will bring access to life-saving tests to those residents who might otherwise never be able to have them done.

Thank goodness for the kinds of community partnerships and resource-seeking efforts that made it possible.