Community Health and Social Services Center in Detroit secures mammogram machine
A community center in Southwest Detroit said it can double the number of women it can get screened for breast cancer thanks to a grant from the Empowerment Foundation.
The Community Health and Social Services (CHASS) Center can now lease a mammogram machine for at least a year because of a $80,000 grant.
“We are very grateful for the generous support from Empowerment Foundation in helping us make it possible to bring this life-saving equipment to the center,” said Dr. Felix Valbuena Jr., CEO CHASS Center. “This gift will allow for us to provide immediate screening for breast cancer to our patients—screening early allows for earlier detection and treatment, which ultimately saves lives.”
CHASS has been in the community for 50 years and provides several different services to the mostly Spanish-speaking community nearby.
Currently, CHASS has a partnership with Henry Ford Health System for women to receive mammograms there, but Valbuena said being able to offer the service in the community so they can avoid having to navigate a big hospital, parking and any language barriers makes it much more likely for the screening to happen.
The grant will pay for the one-year lease and staff needed to provide the mammogram screening. CHASS expects to do the first mammogram in October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness month.
The Empowerment Foundation funds projects “that focus on education, health, self-reliance and technology with a focus to support disadvantaged communities.”
“Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in our country, making access to a mammogram vitally important,” said Bonnie Hill, spokesperson for Empowerment Foundation. “It is a privilege to be able to support CHASS Center in adding this lifesaving equipment to their center as they continue to provide quality care in the Southwest Detroit community.”
CHASS is now launching a fundraising campaign to keep the mammogram machine beyond the one-year lease. Any money donated between now and the end of 2021 will be matched up to $40,000 by the Empowerment Foundation.
This article originally appeared in Click on Detroit. Read more here.
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