Breast Care Coordinator Cheryl Manns with Gifford Medical Center’s stereotactic breast biopsy equipment, including special comfort padding. Stereotactic breast biopsies are relatively new to Gifford and use image guidance to exactly pinpoint and remove a sample of suspicious tissue to be tested for cancer. (Provided/Robin Palmer) Gifford Medical Center has been awarded a $35,000 grant from the Avon Breast Health Outreach Program to increase awareness of the life-saving ben­efits of early detection of breast cancer.

The Avon Breast Health Out­reach Program (BHOP) supports community-based, non-profit breast health programs across the country and is part of the Avon Foundation for Women, the largest corporate philanthro­py dedicated to women’s causes globally.

This is the 11th consecutive year that Gifford’s Breast Health Program has received funding from the Foundation, resulting in a more than $415,000 investment regionally to increase awareness of the lifesaving benefits of mam­mograms and clinical breast ex­ams.

The only Vermont recipient, Gifford was selected as one of 120 grantees nationwide. Orga­nizations like Gifford are chosen based on their ability to effec­tively reach women, particularly minority, low-income, and older women, who are often medically underserved.

Through the grant, Gifford Breast Care Coordinator Cheryl Manns travels the state speaking to women where they live, work and socialize about the life-sav­ing benefits of early detection of breast cancer and sharing infor­mation on resources like Ladies First.

Since Gifford received its first grant in 2002, it has provided more than 4,500 mammograms and nearly 3,500 clinical breast exams through the program, and referred countless others to hos­pitals in their region of the state for care. In 2011 alone, Gifford breast-care personnel spoke to more than 5,000 Vermonters in communities near and far about having annual mammograms af­ter age 40, annual clinical breast exams and doing self-breast ex­ams so women know what is nor­mal for them.

Breast cancer is the most com­mon form of cancer in women in the United States and in Ver­mont. It’s also the nation’s lead­ing single cause of death overall in women between the ages of 40 and 55.

According to the Vermont De­partment of Health, about 473 breast cancer cases are diag­nosed among Vermont women each year and about 92 people die each year from the disease. Nationwide, there is a new diag­nosis every three minutes and a death from breast cancer every 14 minutes.

While advances have been made in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure, early detec­tion still affords the best opportu­nity for successful treatment. Ac­cording to the Avon Foundation, programs such as Gifford’s help ensure that all women have ac­cess to early detection informa­tion and options, even poor and medically underserved women.

“The importance of spread­ing the information about early detection of breast cancer to our communities is a passion our entire team of breast-care per­sonnel shares,” said Pam Caron, who serves as director of ancil­lary services at Gifford and over­sees the grant. “I am very proud of the work they do and the care and compassion they show to our patients is phenomenal. The Avon grant supports our efforts, and I look forward to continuing the mission in 2012.”