Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi was recently named one of five Baptist hospitals in Mississippi to receive funds from the Memphis Mid-South Mississippi Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

14 grants worth a collective $420,000 were distributed. The grants were given to programs that provide breast health and breast cancer services in 14 counties in Tennessee and 23 counties in Mississippi.

“We are thrilled to receive such a generous contribution from the Komen Foundation,” Bill Henning, CEO and administrator of Baptist-North Mississippi, said in a recent news release. “The monies will be used to fund mammograms for women who otherwise could not afford them. Baptist and the Komen Foundation share a common mission of providing all women with access to life-saving breast care, including the proper tools for early detection.”

The Memphis Mid-South Mississippi Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation donates 75 percent of its proceeds to local programs, and the remaining 25 percent to national research, according to its website.

Community grants, like the one awarded to Baptist-North Mississippi, play a significant role in helping those at risk for breast cancer, according to the affiliate’s Chief Executive Officer, Elaine Hare.

“These community grants would not be possible without the support of dedicated donors, volunteers, friends and sponsors,” Hare said in a recent news release. “We reach thousands through our local grants and education programs; yet, when we look at the challenges still faced by women suffering from this disease, we know how much remains to be done.”

Breast cancer affects one in eight women nationwide. In Mississippi, 2,000 cases are diagnosed annually. According to the state Department of Health, the key to fighting breast cancer is early detection. However, Mississippi is one of 10 states with the lowest breast cancer screening rate for older women, a demographic that makes up 80 percent of breast cancer patients.

For more information, visit http://www.komenmemphisms.org.