SUNY DOWNSTATE JOINS THE FIGHT AGAINST BREAST CANCER
Oct 17, 2007
American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk Set for Sunday, October 21st In Prospect Park
Hope starts in Brooklyn on Sunday, October 21. That’s when thousands of moms, dads, children, grandparents, co-workers, breast cancer survivors, and their loved ones will join the fight against breast cancer by walking in the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Brooklyn.
The 3.5-mile non-competitive walk will take place in Prospect Park at the Bandshell located at Prospect Park West at 9th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215. Registration begins at 10:00a.m., the Opening Ceremony begins at 11:00a.m., and the walk will start at 11:15a.m. In 2006, more than 12,000 individuals walked in Prospect Park and raised $750,000.
This year, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, hopes to raise $35,000 to help fight breast cancer.
“I feel that our role in the Healthy Women Partnership has made a big difference in the lives of uninsured women in Brooklyn, who would otherwise not have had their cancers detected and treated in time,” said Maria Yomtov, director of SUNY Downstate’s Center for Health Promotion and Wellness. Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is more than just the name of an event. It describes the progress the American Cancer Society and its dedicated volunteers are making together to defeat this disease and is a great way to get actively involved in the fight.
Since 1993, Making Strides has been the American Cancer Society’s premier event dedicated to raising awareness and dollars in support of breast cancer research, education, advocacy, and patient services. The success of the event has enabled the American Cancer Society to fund more than $323 million for breast cancer research projects since 1972.
Dollars raised at Making Strides also help spread lifesaving breast cancer awareness messages; fund advocacy efforts for screening opportunities for all people; and help to ease the cancer burden for people facing the disease. In 2007, more than 178,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the US, resulting in more than 40,000 deaths. According to the New York State Department of Health’s State Cancer Registry, an estimated 1,443 women in and around Brooklyn will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year resulting in 369 deaths.
The American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is a rallying cry for awareness, the venue to remember those who fought and continue to fight breast cancer, and an opportunity for us all to make a difference in the lives of people with breast cancer. It is also a chance to educate women about the importance of early detection and help change the alarming decline in the number of women going for their potentially lifesaving annual mammogram.
In the New York City metropolitan area (which includes the five boroughs, Long Island and Westchester) Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walks will take place at Orchard Beach in the Bronx; Prospect Park in Brooklyn; Jones Beach State Park on Long Island; Central Park in Manhattan; Queens Borough Hall in Queens; Cloves Lake Park on Staten Island; and Manhattanville College in Westchester. Last year, 104,000 walkers in the metropolitan area raised more than $8.1 million for breast cancer research, education, advocacy and services for patients and their families.
This year, there will be more than 110 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walks taking place throughout the country in October. Last year, 450,000 participants in 120 cities helped to raise more than $40 million for breast cancer research, education, advocacy, and services.
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About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.