MEMPHIS, Tenn — Ahead of its virtual Race for the Cure, the local chapter of Susan G. Komen, serving Memphis and the Mid-South, reports it's facing a major shortfall in funding that provides crucial care.
The Race for the Cure, happening on Oct. 31, went virtual due to the pandemic. Instead of gathering, people can use a Susan G. Komen app to track their steps remotely.
While the event is still happening in a virtual form, Susan G. Komen Memphis-MidSouth said the organization has noticed a significant decrease of registrations and donations and a shortfall of funding is just around the corner.
“We’re going to have a shortfall before March," Susan G. Komen Memphis-MidSouth CEO Elaine Hare said. "That’s why we need more funds right now because we think we’re going to be needing to write checks in February.”
Hare said thousands of local underinsured women rely on the money they raise which goes to grants that cover costly mammograms. A diagnostics report, she said, can cost $1,500 out-of-pocket alone for people with high deductibles.
"Most of us can understand if you’re not in pain and there is no health issue, it’s kind of hard to make yourself come up with $1,500 when you’ve got other pressing news," Hare said.
The organization will also help more people who have lost their jobs and insurance due to the pandemic
“We’re covering that gap so we can’t have women that have issues not getting the immediate care they need because that 99% survival rate is based on early detection," Hare said.
Another hurdle the organization is going through is losing a key cancer center where they provided grants for women to receive care. Hare said because the center turned for-profit the grants no longer work there.
"Then what happened was because mammograms are done at an annual basis at the same time every year, we have a large group of women who can’t receive the care they were getting at a certain institution," she said. "So now we’re working, we get two to three calls a day every day and it’s been going on since September."
In recent years, Memphis ranked first in the number of breast cancer deaths for Black women. Local awareness campaigns have helped bring that ranking down to seventh in the country but the disparities still remain too high, Hare said.
"In our community, we have an African American death rate that is extremely high, across the country it;s 40% but in Memphis it’s almost 70%," she said.
With that in mind, Hare adds that Black women especially need yearly mammograms. Lack of funds for the organization cannot be a reason to skip even one appointment.
"Because African American women can have a fast growing tumor, they cannot wait," she said. "We can’t tell them oh you had a mammogram last year so you can wait. No."
Currently, the organization is short $125,000 of its $400,000 goal. While the virtual race is on Saturday, the event will stay open pass the weekend for more people to participate and donate.
To learn more about donating or participating in the virtual race, click here.
For financial assistance in care, call 1-877-GO KOMEN (465-6636).
