With Support from KeyBank, Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Launches Program to Reach Medically Underserved Women in Syracuse

SYRACUSE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A unique training program that provides one-on-one outreach and education to minority and medically underserved women will launch in Syracuse with community leaders and medical experts gathering for a summit and discussion session.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure, with the generous support of KeyBank Foundation through a $1 million grant, will be reaching out to minority women with an innovative breast health program drawing on the power and dedication of our community. The Susan G. Komen Syracuse Breast Health Summit & Community Health Advisor Training Program takes place today, September 18, 2012 at the Genesee Grande Hotel, located at 1060 East Genesee Street in Syracuse.

NewsChannel 9 WSYR Co-Anchor Carrie Lazarus will host the summit, which will bring together community and civic leaders with influential healthcare leaders.

Attendees of the Summit will have the opportunity to have an open dialogue with a panel of experts from the major hospital systems in Syracuse and to discuss barriers to breast care for women who are medically underserved in our community. The panelists will highlight their work in underserved communities and discuss programs, services and resources available at their organizations.

Featured panelists:

Paul Kronenberg, MD- President & Chief Executive Officer, Crouse Hospital

John McCabe, MD- Chief Executive Officer, University Hospital, Senior Vice President for Hospital Affairs, Upstate Medical University

Kathryn Ruscitto- President & Chief Executive Officer, St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center

George L. Stanley, Jr., MD- Chief of Service, OB/GYN, Syracuse Community Health Center

Survivor Speaker:

Maritza Alvarado, MD- Director of Health Services, Syracuse city School District

The Community Health Advisor Training Program will focus on educating uninsured, low-income and medically underserved women in the Central New York area and encouraging them to get screened. Following the summit in the morning, the second half of the program is geared towards community leaders who have graciously volunteered to be trained as a Komen Community Health Advisor (KCHA). The KCHAs will be armed with breast health education messaging, as well as information about the health care resources that are available in the community.

About Susan G. Komen for the Cure®

Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer. Today, Susan G. Komen for the Cure® works to end breast cancer in the U.S. and throughout the world through ground-breaking research, community health outreach, advocacy and programs in more than 30 countries. Visit komen.org. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.