1987 - 2007 Celebrating 20 Years of Service!

The Linda Creed Breast Cancer Foundation (legal name, Linda Creed Epstein Foundation) was founded in 1987 by a core of friends and family in honor of Linda Creed. Linda Creed was a Philadelphia songwriter who died of breast cancer at the age of 37 after waging a 10-year battle.

The Linda Creed Breast Cancer Foundation was the first free-standing breast cancer organization in Pennsylvania. Dedicated to the early detection and treatment of breast cancer, with the goal of reducing unnecessary suffering and death associated with this disease, the new organization immediately identified a strong, unmet community need: free mammography screenings for women who were uninsured or underinsured.

The Foundation receives no government funding. All funding for its $300,000+ yearly budget is raised through private sources and granting agencies.

Description of Current Programs, Activities
Programs and activities of the Foundation fall into three broad categories: direct services, education, and advocacy. Within each category there are specific programs designed to carry out the Foundation's mission.

Direct Services
The Linda Creed Breast Cancer Foundation's core mission is to provide free mammograms and diagnostic tests for women who have little or no medical insurance and are not eligible for government breast screening programs such as Healthy Women in Pennsylvania and CEED (Cancer Education & Early Detection) in New Jersey. Since its inception, the Foundation has screened over 8,000 women.

In partnership with 15 area hospitals, the Foundation provides free screenings two times a year. The Foundation's screening program provides a comprehensive breast health exam in accordance with guidelines issued by AMA. In addition to the twice-yearly screenings, the Foundation provides diagnostic mammograms and ultra-sounds to women of all ages who are experiencing a symptom that requires immediate diagnosis.

Undergoing breast cancer treatment should not leave a woman financially devastated. Through the Patient Assistance Fund, the Foundation extends a helping hand to women who are undergoing treatment. Based on need, this fund helps women with short-term assistance until they are either well enough to start working again or to bridge the gap between short term assistance and long term services.

Education
Educational programs reach out to target audiences and the general public. Under targeted audiences the Foundation underwrites Safe Circle and Rainbow Circle. Both outreach programs are tailored to meet the needs of traditionally underserved women in culturally relevant acceptable ways.

The Foundation's general education programs include breast health workshops, a toll-free 800 information line, web page support, individual counseling, and sensitivity training for medical professionals. The workshops take place in the community at health fairs, through civic organizations and in the workplace.

Advocacy
While our day-to-day activities provide important short-term solutions to fighting breast cancer, the Foundation is active in finding long-term solutions. Without research that identifies the causes for breast cancer, there will not be a cure. An important Linda Creed Breast Cancer Foundation activity is that of advocacy. On behalf of the State of Pennsylvania, we were the first organization to travel to and lobby on Capital Hill for increased federal and state dollars to be allocated to funding breast cancer detection, research, and treatment. The Foundation is the Pennsylvania grassroots advocacy coordinator for the National Breast Cancer Coalition.

Who do we serve? – A Profile
The woman we typically serve is someone who is locked out of routine wellness care due to financial circumstances. She is usually a single head of household with dependents. She works one or more jobs that do not offer adequate medical insurance. She earns enough to give her family the necessary things in life but has little disposable income. Things like a yearly mammogram and a routine visit to the doctor either is out of her reach or is last on the list of discretionary spending. If between the age of 40 and 64, she also earns too much to qualify for government programs that offer these same services. For women under the age of 40, there are very limited diagnostic services available regardless of symptoms or personal risk factors (such as family history).