Celebrating the Health of African American Women

April is National Minority Health Month – an opportunity for us to raise awareness about the wide range of health disparities among African Americans. As chairperson for this weekend’s Race for the Cure, I’m very aware of the stark statistics that women face:

• Breast cancer is the most common cancer among African American women.
• An estimated 19,540 new cases of breast cancer are expected to occur among African American women in 2009.
• Breast cancer death rates among African American women increased 1.5 percent annually from 1975 to 1992.
• The higher mortality rate in African American women may be related to differences in access to and utilization of early detection and treatment and differences in tumor characteristics.

I’m pleased to know that through grants issued by Women’s Fund, organizations throughout Central Indiana, over the years, have been afforded the opportunity to help women and girls live a healthier life. Below are just a few:

• Little Red Door: provided qualifying women with prostheses, prosthetic bras, wigs, turbans and hats at no charge.
• Planned Parenthood of Central Indiana: hosted peer education programs regarding adolescent sexual health.
• Shalom Health Care Center: provided no cost pap smears and STD screenings for women who were underinsured or uninsured.
• National Center of Excellence in Women: created interactive educational interventions for African-American and Hispanic women concerning HIV/AIDS.

Click here for a full list of organizations granted by Women’s Fund.

• While Women’s Fund currently focuses its funding on organizations addressing domestic violence, insufficient income and caregiving; they truly demonstrate an overarching concern for women and girls through their long-term commitment to organizations addressing health.