The South Jersey Breast Cancer Coalition will hold its second annual Heart in the Park Breast Cancer Awareness Walk on Sunday at Berlin Park.
Its purpose is to promote awareness, educate and show support for victims of breast cancer. The one-mile, leisurely walk begins at 9 a.m.
The Berlin-based coalition was formed in 1997 by a group of survivors concerned with the enormous social, medical and economic consequences of breast cancer. New Jersey ranks eighth in the nation for new cases of breast cancer and third for deaths from breast cancer, according to the coalition’s website.
There are 298,000 men and women in the state living with breast cancer. The coalition promotes breast health awareness throughout New Jersey via personalized lecture services geared to the public and health-care providers, as well as committee members on a number of advocacy initiatives.
The coalition advocates legislation to support breast cancer research funding; eliminating health-care disparities; reducing barriers to quality health care; and empowering the community with resources for patients, families and the public.
Over the years, coalition members have successfully lobbied for and implemented the Drive By Mastectomy Law, which requires insurers to pay for a two-day stay after a mastectomy, if needed. They successfully implemented a letter-writing campaign mandating public reporting of clinical trial outcomes. And they supported legislation targeting environmental links to breast cancer as well as genetic non-discrimination.
For more information visit https://southjerseybcc.org.
