Hackensack Meridian Health Receives Grant from TD Charitable Foundation to Provide Mammograms to Women in Need

Hackensack Meridian – Meridian Health Foundation received a grant for $25,000 from the TD Charitable Foundation to support the Reducing Barriers to Mammograms at the Shore program, which provides free mammograms, diagnostic screenings and procedures to women in Monmouth and Ocean County who are low-income, have no available financial resources, are experiencing financial hardship, or are uninsured or underinsured.

"We are grateful to TD Charitable Foundation for again selecting Hackensack Meridian Health as a recipient of this life-saving grant," says Joseph Stampe, president and chief development officer, Meridian Health Foundation. "This program is specifically designed for women who are 'falling through the cracks,' and who are not eligible for New Jersey's charity care payment assistance program, or its Cancer Education and Early Detection (CEED) program. Never have grants like this been more important as people across the state are impacted by COVID-19 and are finding themselves uninsured, underinsured, or experiencing financial hardship."

To be eligible for charity care or CEED, patients must be at or below 200 percent and 250 percent of the federal poverty level respectively and be uninsured or underinsured. Many women in the community do not meet these strict financial restrictions but still cannot afford the cost of a mammogram and diagnostic procedures such as biopsies, breast ultrasounds and diagnostic mammograms. Reducing Barriers to Mammograms at the Shore enables these women to receive care at one of Hackensack Meridian Health's clinics, located at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune and Hackensack Meridian Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank.

"This program will provide approximately 200 at-risk women with a free screening mammogram as well as diagnostic procedures if signs or symptoms of breast cancer are identified," says Denise Johnson Miller, M.D., FACS, medical director, Breast Surgical Oncology at Hackensack Meridian Health. "If they receive a breast cancer diagnosis, they will be connected to a breast health navigator who provides them with one-on-one support, an invaluable service to help them through this stressful time. We are so grateful to community partners like TD Charitable Foundation for helping us care for our community and provide lifesaving mammograms and comprehensive support to women who are truly in need. Early detection is key, and their generous grant will literally help us save lives."

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for women in New Jersey (after lung cancer) and the state's breast cancer mortality rate is the third highest in the country. Locally, Monmouth and Ocean County have some of the highest incidences of breast cancer in New Jersey and Monmouth County continues to have lower breast cancer screening rates than the rest of the state and disproportionate breast cancer statistics for Hispanic/Latino and Black women. In Monmouth County, the breast cancer death rate for Hispanic women is substantially higher than the state's average and their five-year relative survival rate is lower than the state's. Additionally, about 32 percent of Black women in the county present with late-stage breast cancer.

Not only will this gift from TD Charitable Foundation help to prevent and treat breast cancer to women in need in our communities, it also brings Meridian Health Foundation closer to reaching its fundraising goal of $150 million as part of the organization's Giving Heals campaign. The campaign supports four important initiatives: strengthening oncology services, improving clinical outcomes, enhancing the patient experience and broadening clinical research and academic programs. The campaign, which ends in December 2020, supports eight Hackensack Meridian Health hospitals, including Bayshore Medical Center, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital, Ocean Medical Center, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, Riverview Medical Center and Southern Ocean Medical Center.

For more information about Meridian Health Foundation and the Giving Heals campaign, visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/givingheals.