FARMINGTON – The Healthy Community Coalition has received a $25,000 grant each year for the next five years from the Maine Breast and Cervical Health Program to promote enrollment in the program and advocate for breast cancer detection services in the Franklin County area. This is the coalition’s 11th year of funding from the Maine Breast and Cervical Health Program.

“We’ve made some improvements. Local women are receiving preventive services, but we have a long way to go. Franklin County has a tragically high rate of breast cancer mortality. We want to fight that by encouraging early detection, when breast cancer is at its most treatable stage. We are thankful to the Maine Breast and Cervical Health Program for recognizing this by awarding a continuation grant to the Healthy Community Coalition,” said Jennifer McCormack, program coordinator.

Over the next five years, the coalition will receive $25,000 a year for community-based efforts to educate women 40 and over about mammography, the Maine Breast and Cervical Health Program, other state and local resources available for women uninsured or under insured and to ensure prompt and appropriate follow-up of an abnormal exam.

The program covers mammography and physical exams for income-eligible, un- or under-insured women age 40 to 64 and offers education and outreach throughout the community. The funding is in addition to the grant award from the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Fund.

The coalition is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the Franklin Community Health Network. For more than 12 years, the coalition has offered preventive and educational services aimed at improving the health and well being of people in the community.

To enroll in the program, call 1-800-350-5180. For more information on the breast and cervical early detection program, call Jennifer McCormack at 645-3136 or 800-525-3136, ext. 5102.


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