Long Island's Sisters United in Health provides breast and cervical

Long Island Business News, Jul 11, 2003 by Kenneth Cerini

Putting women's health first

Address: 540 Fulton Avenue, Hempstead 11550

Program Coordinator: Karen Villeda

Telephone: (516) 750-2625

Founded: 2001

Annual Budget: $98,500

Program Services: 100%

Aren't we lucky to live on Long Island? We've got great beaches, historic buildings, we're a train ride away from New York City and we've even got top-notch celebrities living in our own East End. But Long Island also one of the highest rates of breast cancer in the country. Studies show that one out of every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Alarming isn't it?

Cancer is the second leading cause of death. In New York, an average 3,000 women die each year from breast cancer. However, it doesn't have to be this way. Proper education and early detection can cut those statistics down dramatically.

"There are many resources available to women these days, however, some specific groups of women are not being properly targeted," said Jan Figueira, vice president of community education at Planned Parenthood of Nassau County. She is also one of the founders of Sisters United in Health/ Hermanas unidas en la salud, a coalition of 12 Long Island agencies dealing with breast and cervical cancer issues. Sisters/Hermanas was founded in 2001 because people like Figueira recognized the lack of attention minorities were receiving when it came to breast and cervical cancer awareness.

"The mortality rate of African American and Latino women is distressingly high due to low access and lack of proper early detection training," she added.

"Women often put themselves last, worrying about the rest of their family. They're afraid of the risks and the myths that they've heard," said Karen Villeda, Sisters/Hermanas program coordinator. "They put it off and then fear becomes reality when the cancer has spread so far that they can't get proper treatment that will keep them here."

With the Sisters/Hermanas program, Villeda is currently reaching out to three highly Spanish populated areas: Glen Cove, Hempstead and Westbury.

"I find that communities relate well to me. I look like them, I speak like them. I don't talk like a doctor, I speak to them as a fellow Latina," said Villeda, a native of El Salvador.

This is what helps to make Sisters/Hermanas so successful. To date, over 2,000 women have been reached in under-served areas. Sisters/Hermanas not only educates women, but also guides them in the right direction to maintain cancer-free lifestyles.

Every two months, the coalition of organizations that comprise Sisters/Hermanas, which range from the Adelphi program and the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System to Sisters Network and A.H.E.A.D., come together to discuss what they're doing within their programs. "Everybody has information; research, funding, legislative initiatives. We each bring something different to the table. There is one unified goal. This is not a competition," Figueira said. "In fact, we make it a point to never schedule events that conflict with other organization's events. We want women to have the opportunity to attend all events that are available to them."

Sisters/Hermanas has found interesting new ways to reach the Latino community. One example is the joint effort with Mary Kay cosmetics. Villeda recognized that "women often spend so much time and money on taking care of their outward appearance but neglect to take care of the inside." Seminars have been held to get this point across to women. It's a truly innovative way to reach women and educate them. Other avenues used to inform women of breast cancer have been beauty salons and schools. Beauty salons provide a completely captive audience while they are getting their hair done. Education through schools allows for children to discuss the issue with their parents, which is a very important concept.

Here on Long Island it is important for women to understand their risks for breast and cervical cancer. Through programs like Sisters/ Hermanas, the hope of altering the frightening statistics appears attainable. Overall education is an important key to a cancer-free lifestyle and everyone deserves an equal opportunity to receive this education.