Breast Cancer Resources for New Mexicans

The American Cancer Society offers several programs for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. These include I Can Cope, Look Good…Feel Better, Reach to Recovery, and Road to Recovery. You can find the address of the ACS chapter in your neighborhood from ACS. ACS sponsors Making Strides Against Cancer, a fundraising activity for breast cancer. In Albuquerque, Making Strides is an April event..

Albuquerque Cancer Coalition.

The Coalition is an alliance of cancer support agencies, hospital treatment centers and governmental agencies. It's mission is A coalition of cancer support agencies, hospital treatment centers, and governmental agencies uniting together to inform the community of resources, to educate, to advocate and to meet the needs of cancer patients and their families.

Cancer Services of New Mexico

CSNM is a charitable, non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that provides services to reduce cancer suffering in New Mexico by focusing on assistance and support to patients/survivors and their families/caregivers. The overview, mission, and vision outlines the scope of their program and describes the challenges faced by patients/survivors and their caregivers.  Programs include Annual Family Cancer Retreat and Aquarium Day for Kids with Cancer.

Comadre a Comadre

Comadre a Comadre: A One-on-one Peer Support Project for Hispanic Women with Breast Cancer and Their Families is a bilingual, bi-cultural program developed to address the unique needs of Hispanic women living in Bernalillo, Santa Fe, Sandoval, and Valencia counties who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer, as well as their family members. The project is a culturally based, one-on-one peer support intervention for Hispanic women newly diagnosed with breast cancer and their families. Through this intervention, the project hopes to improve the psychosocial adjustment of Hispanic women with breast cancer by increasing social and practical support, and thereby ultimately improving overall quality-of-life. The project offers free support services, guidance, and information on cancer resources in both English and Spanish through a "supportive friend," the Comadre. Comadres are volunteer Hispanic breast cancer survivors who are at least two years post-treatment, and who can share their own personal experience with breast cancer, provide one-on-one emotional support, and offer practical guidance to newly-diagnosed patients. For more information about the Comadre A Comadre Project, please call Elba L. Saavedra, Principal Investigator, at 272-9728 or Nena Cordova, Community Liaison, at (505) 272-5644.

Costco

Costco offers low cost generic drugs.  You do not have to be a member to shop in the Costco pharmacies.  Check with the pharmacy at the Costco near you. This came to our attention through an investigative report on from Steve Wilson of Channel 7 in Detroit on July 22, 2002.  Patients taking Compazine for nausea from chemotherapy have reported enormous cost savings at Costco because of their generic pricing.

The New Mexico Breast and Cervical Cancer Detection and Control (B&CC) Program through the New Mexico Department of Health provides free comprehensive breast and cervical cancer screening services to low-income women through the Anita Salas Memorial Fund. B&CC has a link in Spanish. The site lists resources for breast cancer in several locations around the state. The Well-Woman Campaign offers annual mammograms, breast exams, pap smears and pelvic exams to low-income and uninsured or under-insured women.  Women who need treatment and have been diagnosed through the Well-Woman Campaign may be eligible for treatment through the Breast and Cervical Cancer Medicaid category. This is a statewide program. The phone number is 1.877.852.2585.

People Living Through Cancer

PLTC is located in Albuquerque, NM, and is devoted to educating and supporting people who are living through cancer. PLTC has telephone support in Spanish and English and hosts support groups for breast cancer survivors in Albuquerque and around the state. PLTC has an excellent library of reference materials. PLTC publishes newsletters, sponsors workshops, connects newly diagnosed patients with survivors for one-on-one support, and is a major advocate for the cancer community. PLTC maintains a list of useful Internet resources. Each year PLTC gives Caring Awards to volunteers and professionals in New Mexico who have made special contributions in cancer care. The Survivorship Conference is an upbeat event held annually in June for survivors statewide to exchange information and share support. The Leadership Council was created to bring together leaders from the cancer community from throughout the state for the dissemination of information and to build and foster the idea of statewide survivorship network and to oversee the progress of the fourth goal of the New Mexico Cancer Plan (PDF). The Breast Cancer Committee of PLTC organizes a Candlelight Vigil at the end of Breast Cancer Month each October. PLTC supports a representative to the NBCC advocacy conferences. For more information about PLTC please call them at (505) 242-3263

The New Mexico Women's Bar Association

The NMWBA is a national leader in providing advocacy for legal rights surrounding breast cancer. It offers professional assistance to help women deal with insurance and employment issues. If you need legal assistance, please contact PLTC.

State Library Project

St. Joseph's Healthcare Foundation offers a range of programs in addition to the Nancy Floyd Haworth Memorial Breast Cancer Lectureship Series and Luncheon. The Committee partnered with the New Mexico State Libraries to distribute literature and a CD about breast cancer resources to all the of the libraries in New Mexico, including Native American libraries, in June, 2002. Another presentation to libraries will be made in the fall of 2003.  For information, please contact Stephanie Gerding at the New Mexico State Library. Phone (505) 476-9727.

University of New Mexico

The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Cancer Research and Treatment Center has recently made strides in its quest for designation as one of the major centers for the National Cancer Institute. The Center’s newsletter El Oso Sanador has information about this and prevention, treatment and clinical research studies. The University of New Mexico Hospital Women's Health Service Breast Clinic has information about Breast Disease. UNMH Women's Health Service also offers lectures and other events open to the public.

YWCA EncorePlus of Albuquerque is a chapter of the national YWCA EncorePlus organization. EncorePlus supports the community with education programs and providing assistance to pay for cervical and mammogram screenings.  EncorePlus in New Mexico works in collaboration with the NM Department of Health and is supported by United Way and the Anita Salas Foundation.

Susan G Komen Central New Mexico Affiliate

Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation funds several New Mexico Projects through the Race for the Cure campaign. Watch for announcements for the July 2004 Race.

HerSource.com and NABCO

Support services available in New Mexico can be found from the herSource map. Simply click on the map of New Mexico to find information about Farmington, Las Cruces, Lincoln County and Santa Fe. There are no links to these sites but their addresses are noted. Another listing of sources in New Mexico can be found at the website of the National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations. Select NM from select a state on the NABCO Regional Support Group Database page. In addition to Albuquerque, resources in Farmington, Las Cruces, and Santa Fe are noted. We did not find links to these sites but their addresses are noted and in most cases the times of the meeting are listed. There are some duplications between these two sites and we have not checked to make sure the information is current.

Santa Fe Cancer Institute of New Mexico.

The Cancer Institute of New Mexico (CINM) open since mid-September 2003 is the state's newest cancer care facility. The Cancer Institute of New Mexico is the result of two groups of physicians - New Mexico Cancer Care Associates and Radiation Oncology Associates - joining forces to offer patients the best in cancer screening, cancer treatment and compassionate care.

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