Grass Valley, Calif. July 8, 2020 – Experts estimate that one in eight women living in the United States are at risk of developing breast cancer in their lifetime and agree that early detection of the disease – through routine mammography – can reduce the risk of death by 25-30%.
The Women’s Imaging Center at Dignity Health Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital (SNMH) manages over 4,000 mammograms a year and the current machine is nearing its end of life.
In March, Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation (SNMHF) began fundraising to provide $150,000 for the new machine. In addition, SNMH will provide $200,000 of the $350,000 total project. To date, our generous community has donated $110,000. The goal is to raise the remaining $40,000 by the end of summer.
In an effort to bolster donations, SNMHF Board member Denis Drew, MD and his wife Barbara Drew, RN, PHD generously offered to help by providing a challenge to donors. For the month of July, every gift to support the new mammography machine will be matched $1 for $1, up to $5,000! For the Drews – both award-winning medical professionals – the decision to support the new mammography machine was an easy one.
“There is evidence that early detection of breast cancer can be curable but is dependent on the accuracy of the mammography unit,” said Dr. Drew. “My mother, two paternal aunts, my mother-in-law, and retired office manager all had early detection of breast cancer resulting in a permanent cure. We are convinced that high quality mammography can be lifesaving, which is why we are offering a $5000 challenge grant to support the Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation Breast Cancer fund.”
Help us reach our goal by the end of July and Meet The Match for Mammography with a donation. Help us provide community members diagnosed with breast cancer a fighting chance to beat the disease and get back to their normal lives.
Make a difference today; visit www.supportsierranevada.org/donate to make a secure online donation. You can also send a check made out to SNMHF to PO Box 1810, Grass Valley, CA 95945 or give us a call at (530) 477-9700 to make your donation over the phone. Thank you!