Saint Agatha Foundation to Distribute Unprecedented $2.3 Million Investment to Provider Partners

Saint Agatha Foundation today announces $2.3 million in grant funding to eight partners in care. This represents a record-breaking investment by the Foundation and is expected to greatly expand access to high-quality care for breast cancer patients in Central New York across Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Jefferson, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Otsego, Oswego, Saint Lawrence, and Tompkins counties.

Since 2004, Saint Agatha Foundation has focused its grantmaking on providing financial assistance to individuals facing breast cancer in Central New York. The Foundation remains committed to providing direct support for breast cancer patients, and with this investment is expanding support to initiatives that advance breast cancer prevention and early detection.

"We are incredibly proud to partner with these eight provider organizations to improve care for people facing breast cancer," said Kathy Mezzalingua, Board President, Saint Agatha Foundation. "When breast cancer took my daughter Laurie from us too early, she asked me to 'just help women.' And that's what we're doing with this new round of grant funding. We can't wait to see the impact."

The provider partners receiving these capital grants are: Cortland Memorial Foundation at Guthrie Cortland Medical Center (Cortland, NY); Mohawk Valley Health System (Utica, NY); Oswego Hospital (Oswego, NY); Guthrie Lourdes Hospital (Binghamton, NY); Rome Health (Rome, NY); Samaritan Medical Center Foundation (Watertown, NY); St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center (Syracuse, NY); and UHS Foundation (Binghamton, NY).

The funding will be used largely for technology upgrades in each partner's facilities to better detect, diagnose, and treat breast cancer. These include advanced imaging technology and specialized diagnostic imaging, precision surgical navigation tools, and systems for tumor localization and radiation therapy. Bringing this advanced technology to these remote communities will promote early detection and improve the patient experience to support healthy outcomes for people across Central New York.

"This investment in Oswego Hospital from Saint Agatha Foundation is a game-changer for patients in Oswego County," said Margaret Barclay, Executive Director, Oswego Health Foundation. "The grant funding will allow our medical center to upgrade from a 2D mammography unit to 3D imaging. This not only empowers our staff to detect breast cancer earlier - thereby improving patients' treatment options - but also eases the burden all around with fewer callbacks and follow-up testing expected."

Saint Agatha Foundation currently partners with 28 different 501(c)(3) public charities to fulfill its mission of providing support, comfort, and care to breast cancer patients across Central New York. Through grants to local hospitals, medical care providers, and even non-medical providers, breast cancer patients may qualify for payment of bills for unmet financial needs - ranging from treatment and procedures, to co-payments and medications, to transportation and non-medical living expenses.

Saint Agatha Foundation disburses grant funding to providers three times per year. This marks the Foundation's largest investment in capital improvements, with previous gifts - including donations to Crouse Hospital for state-of-the-art mammography machines - complementing its primary support for direct patient assistance. Interested 501(c)(3) organizations based in the Foundation's 12 counties of operations should visit www.saintagathafoundation.org/for-providers/

About Saint Agatha Foundation
Saint Agatha Foundation was founded in 2004 to provide support, comfort and care to breast cancer patients. We help individuals - particularly the under-insured and uninsured - in the Central New York area by providing financial assistance to cover a range of costs for treatment and recovery. Learn more about Saint Agatha Foundation's resources for patients and funding opportunities for providers: www.saintagathafoundation.org

SOURCE Saint Agatha Foundation