Latinas for a Cure

Latina women show lower breast cancer screening rates than non-Hispanic/Latina White women and tend to seek and attain health care services less frequently than other ethnic groups.  In 2006, an estimated 14,300 Latina women were diagnosed with breast cancer and an estimated 1,740 of these women died of the disease. 

Latinas for a Cure, a committee of the San Antonio Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, was established in December 2002 to address the needs of Latina women in the San Antonio region, especially those who are medically under- or uninsured. 

The mission of Latinas for a Cure is to reach out, encourage, support and teach all women, with an emphasis on the Spanish-speaking community, the benefits of better breast health and available treatment services. 

The committee began with a group of nine members and has grown to more than 100 members.  Committee members are breast cancer survivors, caregivers, advocates, nurses, and individuals of any ethnicity that have a commitment to breast health for Latina women in San Antonio. It is not a requirement to speak or understand Spanish to become involved with this committee.

According to the 2006 Komen San Antonio Affiliate Community Needs Profile, it was determined that three main barriers to obtaining breast education and services exist in our community for Latina women:  language/cultural barriers, lack of transportation and access to care. 

The goal of Latinas for a Cure is to address all of these barriers by offering Latina women the opportunity to inform themselves about breast health and services provided by Komen for the Cure through Komen grant funded agencies.  Latinas for a Cure is proud to offer a number of free, educational and outreach initiatives throughout the community. Trained bilingual volunteers attend local health fairs and provide presentations on a variety of breast health issues.

Nuestras Historias
In 2005, several Latinas for a Cure members participated in developing Nuestras Historias: Mujeres Hispanas Sobreviviendo el Cancer del Seno (Our Stories: Hispanic Women Surviving Breast Cancer), a book featuring 26 South Texas women who fought this deadly disease and describe the Latina breast cancer experience in their own words.  Nuestras Historias is beautifully presented in both English and Spanish and was produced by Redes en Acci��The National Hispanic/Latino Cancer Network in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine, the San Antonio Cancer Institute, the Lance Armstrong Foundation and Susan G. Komen for the Cure San Antonio Affiliate.  Latinas for a Cure also has received national recognition for Hispanic outreach as it was named to the Komen for the Cure's National 2005 Education Honor Roll.