REMOVING THE BARRIERS: A FREE TRAINING FOR HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS

Wilmington, DE, August 23, 2004 – With funding from the Gill Foundation, the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition, Inc. (DBCC) is pleased to announce a free training for health care professionals. Removing the Barriers: Providing Culturally Competent Care to Lesbians and Women Who Partner with Women will be offered on Wednesday, October 20 from 8:30am to 3:00pm at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center in Newark, Delaware. Lunch will be provided. CME's are also available.

Interested individuals are encouraged to register early; space is limited. Registration information is available at www.debreastcancer.org, or by calling (302) 778-1102.

This training, developed by the Mautner Project with funding from the CDC, empowers health care professionals to be partners in providing culturally competent care and will help reduce the barriers lesbians experience when accessing health care.  

Lesbians often avoid accessing health care due to real or perceived homophobia and heterosexism, instead accessing health care only in times of acute need. Therefore, routine screenings are not performed and cancers may be detected at later, less treatable stages. Lesbians are also less likely to have adequate health insurance, and are often unable to benefit from a partner’s health insurance plan. DBCC is particularly concerned that lesbians may experience more risk factors for breast cancer compared to heterosexual women, including: never giving birth or having her first child after age 30, never breast feeding, having a higher body-mass index, higher rates of smoking, increased alcohol consumption, lower rates of health insurance, and lower rates of health care screenings.

DBCC was established in 1991 to empower our community by raising awareness of breast health issues through outreach, education and support services, in order to facilitate early detection and treatment of breast cancer. DBCC supports the National Breast Cancer Coalition and their efforts to research the causes of breast cancer and pursue optimal treatments and cures. For additional information, please contact DBCC at (302) 778-1102 or (866) 312-DBCC, or visit our website at www.debreastcancer.org.