Breast Cancer Awareness Event to be Held Saturday at Bliss Towers in Hudson

ALBANY, NY (10/23/2009)(readMedia)-- A breast cancer awareness event will be held on October 24th at Bliss Towers in Hudson from 2-4p.m. The event will include a presentation by a breast cancer survivor; information about breast health-related services available at Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood; an opportunity to talk with and gain information from local health and human service organizations; refreshments, and door prizes and is open to both residents of Bliss Towers and those who live nearby. The event is the first in a series of programs planned by a new, multi-year community-based initiative , the "Women's Health Project."

The Women's Health Project initiative is a collaborative project involving Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood (UHPP) and a research team from the University at Albany, funded through a grant from the National Center of Minority Health and Health Disparities at the National Institutes of Health. The purpose of the initiative, which is being conducted through the University's Center for Elimination of Minority Health Disparities, is to identify effective strategies for overcoming barriers to seeking reproductive healthcare encountered by underserved women in the Hudson area and is grounded in research that demonstrates an unmet need for affordable family planning and reproductive health services by women of color in the Hudson area.

"While our Hudson center sees a significant number of low income women of color for services, both qualitative and quantitative research has demonstrated the presence of many more women in need who were not taking advantage of UHPP services," says UHPP CEO Patricia A. McGeown. "Working with the University at Albany's Center for the Elimination of Minority Health Disparities, we were able to identify some of the barriers and to collaborate on a grant proposal to the National Institutes of Health to reduce those barriers."

The research team from the University is led by Professors Annis Golden and Anita Pomerantz of the Communication Department. A field office for the Women's Health Project will be set up at Bliss Towers and staffed by community outreach associate Jeanette Johnson. Johnson is also working with UHPP patient services and education staff, and an advisory board consisting of representatives from eight other leading community organizations. Working together, this group plans a series of community events that will include educational presentations, tabling by organizational representatives, healthy refreshments, opportunities to schedule appointments, and travel vouchers to attend those appointments.

"We are very excited to work with the University at Albany and the Center for the Elimination of Minority Health Disparities," says Rob Curry, UHPP Senior Vice President of External Affairs. "This project will enable us to work with longstanding and new community partners to ensure that our services are culturally appropriate and accessible to all local residents, particularly those who face significant barriers of income and geography."

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Members of the Community Advisory Board for the Women's Health Project include: Columbia County Community Healthcare Consortium, Columbia County Department of Health, Columbia Memorial Hospital, Columbia Opportunities, Hudson Housing Authority, Mental Health Association of Columbia-Greene Counties, Operation Unite Education and Cultural Arts Center, Overcomers Ministries International, and Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood.

Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood (UHPP) is a community-based non-profit organization providing advocacy, education and medical services for reproductive health care since 1934. In 2008, over 11,000 patients made 22,257 visits to UHPP health centers located in Albany, Hudson and Troy. UHPP health educators present over 500 education programs reaching over 6,000 youth and young adults each year. UHPP services are delivered with special concern for the underserved.