The "Poder y Vida (Power and Life) Latina Initiative," launched by Susan G. Komen of Oregon & Southwest Washington, Kaiser Permanente Northwest and numerous other community organizations, is a program created to improve access to breast cancer screening and help reduce breast cancer-related deaths among Latino women. While Latinas are diagnosed with breast cancer at a lower rate than other ethnic groups, more die from it. Those deaths can be credited to a lack of early detection.

Early detection is essential when treating cancer, but statistics reveal that, on average, Latinas often aren't diagnosed until the disease has matured to a critical stage. Cancer data shows that Latinas are diagnosed with late-stage cancer more than non-Latinas: Latinas have a late-stage breast cancer diagnosis rate of 36 percent; higher than all other ethnic groups, which average a late-stage diagnosis rate of 26 percent. Late-stage diagnoses dramatically decrease chances of survival; however, if caught at an early age, there is a 99 percent chance of living at least five years.

"With Latino women, part of the culture is to put our family first," said Ignolia Duyck, community outreach manager for Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center in Cornelius. "Many of these women are working to take care of children and everybody else but themselves. We're saving lives by giving knowledge and empowering women."

Healthcare opportunities and outcomes for Latinas in this country are deplorable, according to Thomas Bruner, chief executive officer for Susan G. Komen. Latinas are diagnosed late, and when they are diagnosed, there is a lack of service and care because many of the women are uninsured.

"We have got to do something about it," he said. "We spent a year with Latina-serving organizations and figured out a five-year project intended to do two things: increase screening rates and decrease late-stage diagnoses. If we do those things, we can save Latinas' lives, literally."

On May 29, Kaiser Permanente donated $1.3 million to provide major funding to the program; the money will be put toward early breast cancer screenings for Latinas across northwest Oregon, where Latinas make up 5.58 percent of the state's population. The donation will fund 2,800 breast cancer screenings and will provide better access to healthcare treatment facilities, and it will take aim at its target community by utilizing Spanish-speaking media outlets to spread the word to Hispanic communities throughout the region.

Aloha-Beaverton and Gresham-Rockwood are the first two communities that will be addressed due to the fact that they have the highest levels of late-stage diagnosis in the area. The Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center has already begun to call in patients for initial assessments. The center has a list of about 700 women who meet the criteria, and 220 of those will women will have receive mammograms provided by Kaiser Permanente.

The efforts of local community healthcare workers are being credited as essential to the initiative. Being on the ground and staying connected to the community makes the vision a reality. Those close to the largely uninsured community can attest to the struggles that the women face, and they see how backbreaking an expensive mammogram can be.

"Many of our patients are uninsured," Duyck explained. "For them to pay for a mammogram, it's really expensive — $450. Who can afford that when they need that money for food or other needs? And also there is a fear to find out. In our culture, cancer equals death. That's it; there's no hope."

Educating women, changing attitudes, and boosting survival rates through the concerted effort of radio, TV, and community members is Poder y Vida's agenda. Latinas are being made aware of the risk of waiting to educate themselves about the dangers and likelihood of breast cancer. The five-year project will increase breast cancer screening by 10 percent and reduce late-stage breast cancer diagnoses by 14 percent among Latinas in Northwest Oregon.

Poder y Vida's additional project partners are Meyer Memorial Trust, Reser Family Foundation, Wells Fargo, Juan Young Trust, Wessinger Foundation, Jackson Foundation, Spirit Mountain Community Fund and the Collins Foundation, along with Bustos Media and KUNP Univision-Mundo Fox, the Latina Initiative's primary media partner. Poder y vida's support has led to the donation of mammograms, Spanish-language media sponsorship, and will address other identifiable obstacles, including transportation, child care, language or immigration status.