Published on November 22, 2010
Updated on February 13, 2018
Suzanne Hoban
Executive Director, Family Health Partnership Clinic
¡Celebremos la vida! Project Director
Congratulations to the Prevent Cancer Foundation on 25 successful years! We are so thrilled to have been a partner with this terrific organization since 2004. That year, Prevent Cancer funded a fledgling project in the rural northeastern portion of Illinois. ¡Celebremos la Vida! (Celebrate Life) at Family Health Partnership Clinic joined other successful ¡Celebremos la Vida! programs operating in the Washington, DC area since 1994. Prevent Cancer Foundation had the foresight to take this program and replicate it in another portion of the country. The Family Health Partnership Clinic took on this project and crafted it to meet the needs of its community.
One day each month, the Clinic “takes over” the Women’s Health Center of Centegra Hospital. The Clinic brings in its staff, and conducts a day long cancer screening and education program for uninsured Latino women 40 and older. During this time, women are given pap smears, clinical breast exams, mammograms, and cancer prevention education with no charge to them. The day is made more festive with food being available, as well as goodie bags given to each of the women containing toiletries, makeup and other cosmetic items. Some of the other activities we have had at ¡Celebremos la Vida! include massages, makeup consultations, nutrition counseling, and music. Each month, over 25 women take part in this exciting program that has received national attention.
Through the years, the Prevent Cancer Foundation has been a wonderful partner to the Family Health Partnership Clinic. The Foundation has funded two other initiatives at the Clinic including a cervical cancer reduction program and a Total Health program, designed to address multiple preventative screenings through an intense patient/nurse practitioner visit. Both of these programs have had ripple effects on the Clinic’s work, and we salute the foresight that this Foundation has had.
Congratulations on 25 years – may the next 25 be as productive and innovative as the last. The commitment to ensuring access to the marginalized has been a model that should be replicated throughout the country. We are proud of our affiliation with Prevent Cancer Foundation and look forward to continuing to work with them in this important area.
Editor’s Note: This post is part of the 25th Anniversary Testimonials Initiative.
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