Susan G. Komen continues to provide breast cancer services across the Upper Cumberland despite consolidating its local affiliate offices and moving to a remote workforce.
Susan G. Komen Tennessee Executive Director April Douglas said the organization transitioned to a unified model around 2020. The physical move out of the Upper Cumberland eliminated expenses associated with maintaining physical offices.
“So really we’re just taking that money that used to be spent on other things and really re-focusing and making it about the patients and people going through breast cancer to end it,” Douglas said. “And that’s our ultimate goal.”
Douglas said Komen has invested $1.1 billion in breast cancer research and has provided support to 1,700 people across Tennessee since the beginning of 2023. She said those resources remain available to Upper Cumberland residents regardless of the absence of a local office.
“Anyone in the Cumberland Plateau, if they reach out to our services, our hotline or email, they can receive services that we offer to anybody, anywhere, at any time,” Douglas said. “Along with that, we are constantly doing research, so we are helping people connect with clinical trials and things to hopefully get the service and the care that they need.”
Douglas said reaching people in rural communities remains a focus for the organization. Komen works with companies that provide mobile mammography units for service days in areas where access can be limited.
“If someone’s in a rural area and they just feel like they don’t have access to care, or maybe they just don’t even know the questions to ask if they’re at risk, we have that hotline so that people on the other end of the line will connect them and make sure that everybody everywhere is getting the services that they need,” Douglas said.
Douglas said Komen’s assistance extends beyond connecting patients with medical care. Financial assistance programs can help eligible patients with expenses such as rent and groceries while they undergo treatment.
“We’re constantly advocating and trying to change the legislature so that we can make sure that the people going through breast cancer receive what they need and are not stopped, that they don’t hit roadblocks of services,” Douglas said. “And so just making sure that they have all the access they can to care.”
Douglas said Komen is planning to expand its outreach and event presence across Tennessee.