For the past six years, the NYC City Council Cancer Initiative funding has supported the availability of, and access to, early detection programs for cancer services in our community. This support has ensured that thousands of women have access to life-saving health screenings, treatments, education, and support. Unfortunately, the current administration has deemed that funding for women’s health services will no longer be available in fiscal year 2016.
Council Member Elizabeth Crowley and SHAREing & CAREing, along with several other local groups, took to the steps of City Hall to voice our outrage at the loss of this vital funding. There was a positive showing with NY1 coverage and Crowley leading the group in a resounding chant “What do we want? FUNDING! When do we want it? NOW!”
The funding SHAREing & CAREing has received through the NYC City Council Cancer Initiative has allowed us to continue our flagship Be a Friend to Your Mother high school outreach program. Through this program SHAREing & CAREing visits local public high schools to provide education around early detection, self exams, and overall prevention, with the actionable takeaway of imploring students to share this vital information with their family members – especially their mothers, aunts, and grandmothers. Visiting with high school girls is the highlight of our work. They are the future and reaching them at a young age is crucial to reversing women’s cancer statistics. Each year the school staff thank us profusely for spending time with their students and the girls we meet are always engaged, receptive, and willing to ask questions about their health. They show great concern for the women in their families and recount with sadness the loss of loved ones to dreaded cancer. Unfortunately, loss of City Council funding support would severely restrict our educational outreach efforts.
- From 2009-2014, SHAREing & CAREing has provided educational outreach to nearly 15,000 individuals, including 9,000 high school students.
- While detection is not the primary goal of the program, SHAREing & CAREing has helped save the lives of 8 high school girls since the program’s inception in 1994.
We want to thank Council Member Elizabeth Crowley and the NYC Council Women’s Caucus for leading the fight to restore funding for women’s health services in the upcoming budget. A final budget will be passed by the end of June.
We hope to share good news with you in the coming weeks. In the meantime, if you would like to support SHAREing & CAREing’s work we graciously accept donations through PayPal or you can contact our offices at anytime.