天美传媒

by Lyn Dobrin

The origin of theis one that reflects how the social聽work values of enhancing human well-being and helping聽to meet the basic human needs of all people influenced聽the founding and progress of this unique program. The聽program is emblematic of the School鈥檚 commitment to聽serving our communities and looking critically at policy,聽programs and services to address emerging social needs.

Thirty-five years ago, professors at the 天美传媒聽School of Social Work recognized the need in the聽community for women to come together to talk about a聽disease that society kept hidden away鈥攂reast cancer.听Several women who had had breast cancer were brought聽together for a support group. When the group ended,聽they knew that what they had experienced needed to be聽made available to other women. They also understood that聽there were many women who would be unable to come to聽the school for the support group and so they established聽the Woman-to-Woman Hotline, a confidential phone聽line where women with breast cancer could speak with聽survivors who 鈥渉ad been there鈥� and receive emotional聽support and information. That grew into a statewide breast聽cancer hotline and today there are almost 100 volunteers聽serving on the hotline and providing education in the聽community. Volunteers have been specially training for the聽speaker鈥檚 bureau, ready to educate women and men about聽breast cancer at community events.

The social action piece of the program emerged with a聽recognition that the causes of breast cancer were unknown聽and that treatment hadn鈥檛 changed from generation to聽generation. The program began an action component and聽vociferously and successfully advocated in Albany and聽Washington for more money for research into causes and聽cures. Along with other organizations across the country,
the program also helped fund the National Breast Cancer聽Coalition to address breast cancer issues through research,聽legislation and advocacy.

The breast cancer hotline鈥檚 history is of commitment to聽serve our community. To that end numerous programs and聽services that address emerging social needs were created:

• Despite advances in cancer prevention and聽treatment, it was clear that breast cancer mortality聽continued to be disproportionately higher among African American and Latino women,聽so the program established Sisters United in聽Health/Hermanas Unidas en la Salud (SUIH), a聽collaboration of organizations in the Long Island聽region, with the goal of providing breast health聽education, conducting outreach initiatives and聽offering screening and support resources to African聽American and Latino women in under-served聽communities. An outpost at the hospital that treats聽most of the poor, uninsured, underserved people聽in the county was established to provide on-site services in English and Spanish for women coping聽with breast cancer and their families.
• Although breast cancer is predominantly a woman鈥檚 disease, men get breast cancer too, and so the hotline and support program established the nation鈥檚 first breast cancer support group for men. Ultimately the men in the group, with the guidance of staff, developed a brochure to inform other men. Other support groups, such as those for women with metastatic breast cancer or for husbands of women with breast cancer, were established as a response to needs in the community.
• Forums provide the latest information on breast cancer and related concerns such as the physical and emotional effects of chemotherapy, genetic counseling, nutrition and stress reduction. The program is ever responsive to our community and ready to provide needed services.