Komen Atlanta Treatment Assistance Program Gets Local Support

ATLANTA – Susan G. Komen® Greater Atlanta has received generous support from the Georgia Center for Oncology Research and Education (Georgia CORE) and The Billi Marcus Foundation to help fund the Komen Atlanta Treatment Assistance Program (ATAP). ATAP provides financial assistance to local breast cancer patients dealing with the crippling costs associated with breast cancer treatment that may prevent low-income, medically indigent individuals from receiving breast cancer treatment.

Georgia CORE has awarded $50,000 to Komen Atlanta from Georgia’s Breast Cancer License Tag Fund, which Georgia CORE administers on behalf of the State Office of Rural Health in the Department of Community Health. The Billi Marcus Foundation has committed $25,000 per year for the next three years to support ATAP.

“The generous funding provided by Georgia CORE and The Billi Marcus Foundation will help support a critically important program for the Atlanta community,” said Cati Diamond Stone, CEO, Komen Atlanta. “Removing barriers to breast cancer treatment is a vital part of addressing the Susan G. Komen Bold Goal to reduce current breast cancer deaths by 50 percent in the U.S. by 2026. Through ATAP, we can help fill the financial gaps for patients to make treatment accessible and reduce the chances of it being delayed or avoided because of the cost.”

ATAP covers limited costs associated with breast cancer treatment such as oral pain medication, anti-nausea medication and oral chemotherapy/hormone therapy. It also covers other non-treatment related expenses, including childcare/elder care, home care, transportation, lymphedema care and supplies and durable medical equipment.

To be eligible, patients must have incomes at or below 250% of the federal poverty line and be in active breast cancer treatment.

“This grant supports research that will make treatment more effective identifying breast cancer at an earlier stage,” said Angie Patterson, vice president, Georgia CORE and a 16-year breast cancer survivor. “It will also help women, and particularly uninsured women, receive appropriate screening or treatment.”

“One of the most critical needs in the Atlanta community is increasing access to care for the vulnerable populations. As a 17-year breast cancer survivor myself, I am proud to support Susan G. Komen Greater Atlanta and the Atlanta Treatment Assistance Program,” said Billi Marcus.

For more information, please visit www.komenatlanta.org.

About Susan G. Komen® Greater Atlanta
Metro Atlanta women are dying of breast cancer more often when compared to women in the U.S. as a whole. And that has to change. Komen Atlanta fights breast cancer on two fronts: at home in metro Atlanta by providing breast health and breast cancer services for those who cannot afford them, and globally by funding cutting edge research to find cures. Komen Atlanta has raised $49.7 million since its inception in 1991, with over $38 million invested in Metro Atlanta to save lives locally and over $9 million invested to fund research to save lives all over the world. Komen Atlanta is part of the national Susan G. Komen organization, the largest private funder in the fight against breast cancer. For more information visit KomenAtlanta.org.