District 6780 - *Breast Cancer Awareness/Turkey 3-H Grant*

"This project will improve breast cancer awareness among healthcare providers and women aged 18+ in the medically underserved areas of the greater Izmir provincial area of Turkey.Physician-led, neighborhood seminars will focus on breast cancer education and training in breast self-examination and early detection.Women aged 40+ will be referred to physicians for clinical breast examination and to begin periodic screening mammography.Program success will be tracked over time by a series of surveys and healthcare patient registry data.As a key partner, the Turkish Ministry of Health will sustain this project's momentum, fundamentally changing healthcare for generations of women."

The grant became effective on July 1, 2009.Soon after, our Turkish Rotarian counterparts (with the dedicated assistance of their wives and, in some instances, husbands), began their work with added zest. Regular meetings began immediately with the Vice Director and other staff members of the Ministry of Health in Izmir.

One of the project team's early successes was to convince Oya Basar, a nationally known humorist and breast cancer survivor, to be the unpaid spokesperson for the project.Ms. Basar was the focal point of the December 2009 press conference that officially launched the project.The next day, the first training programs were held for physicians and local women.PP Jim O'Brien and Vice President Bruce Williamson had traveled to Izmir to participate in the press conference and attend the initial training sessions.

Over the past seven months, 218 physicians and 227 nurses have received training in clinical breast examinations and teaching women to administer breast self-examination.They have also received valuable information about mammography.In addition, 1,164 women from throughout the Izmir province have been educated by world-class oncologists about breast cancer and trained in the techniques of breast self-examination, including hands-on experience using half-body models containing simulated cancerous nodules.

If each of these 1,164 women have discussed their experience with just 10 other women, it's believed that more than 11,640 women have already benefited from this project.Add to that the number of women with whom the trained physicians, nurses and mid-wives have discussed breast cancer, breast self-examination and the benefits of early detection, the number of women who have benefited indirectly from the project to date is probably well in excess of 40,000.If it were possible to quantify the number of women whose awareness of breast cancer has been enhanced by watching and listening to Oya Basar's video, reading the brochures, billboards and posters that have been distributed, the number of women who have indirectly benefited from this project almost certainly exceeds 100,000.

Bottom line:This project is off to a great start.Over the remaining two years of the grant, tens of thousands of additional women will benefit directly and indirectly from this project.Of that number, hundreds will discover breast cancer, receive treatment, and will live as a result of this project.Building Communities and Bridging Continents in action!

ORIGINAL POST - July 2009

Rotary District 6780, led by the Farragut Rotary Club, has been awarded a Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H) Grant from The Rotary Foundation to begin a three-year project to improve breast cancer awareness in western Turkey's Rotary District 2440.The project will include breast cancer education efforts, training in self examination, s and early detection and screening mammograms.

This is the first time ever that any Rotary club in District 6780 and Farragut Rotary has been awarded a 3-H Grant. Click here to download a copy of the press release that is being distributed across the district.

Jim O'Brien, past president of Farragut Rotary, and Rotarian Bruce Williamson have been the primary spearheads for this project.

"The Farragut Rotary Club's own Bruce Williamson and Jim O'Brien have worked hard with District 2440 in Turkey to win the opportunity to help the women in Turkey have treatment for this curable disease if caught early.Their efforts have been successful after a year of design and grant application submission," said District 6780 Governor Carol LaRue.

Districts 6780 and 2440 have done eight projects together in the past 10 years as well as a Group Study Exchange with District 2440, led by O'Brien."This relationship has grown for The Rotary Club of Farragut and our district. After successful matching grant projects with this district, Bruce and Jim began pursuing the 3-H Grant idea with them," LaRue said. "They identified a need within the district, won the agreement of District 2440 leaders, requested help from our district and began the grant process.They invited other clubs to participate financially.With encouragement from the Grants Committee and other clubs, the hard work began. And now, it's a dream come true!"

Turkish Rotarians very involved are from the Izmir-Guzelyali, Cesme and Bursa-Uludag Rotary Clubs.Overall, 500 Turkish Rotarians there and their spouses will be involved. O'Brien says that at least 21 Rotarians from District 6780 will work on this project for its duration.

Over the next three years, O'Brien and Williamson will be going back to Turkey along with other District 6780 Rotarians.

"Congratulations, Rotary Club of Farragut!" LaRue said.

Other District 6780 Rotary Clubs participating in this project are The Rotary Club of Knoxville, The Rotary Cub of Maryville, the Tellico Lake Club and West Knoxville Rotary. Also, two U.S. organizations have helped with this project -- the Thompson Cancer Survival Center and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Members of the International Project Management Committee include O'Brien, Williamson, and Patty Daughtrey from the Farragut club; Sharon Mullens from the Rotary Club of Knoxville, Maryellen Duckett from the Rotary Club of North Knoxville, and John Bailey, District 6780 Rotary Foundation Chairman.

"I have to emphasize the contributions that Governor Carol LaRue made. She has been actively involved right from the start of the application process and without her active support there's no way that this 3-H grant would have ever come to fruition," O'Brien said.

"I am amazed and thrilled and humbled to have helped make this happen," O'Brien said. "But I think Bruce Williamson is the prime mover on this project."

Here is a summary of the project:

This project will improve breast cancer awareness among healthcare providers and women aged 18+ in the medically underserved areas of the greater Izmir provincial area of Turkey.
Physician-led, neighborhood seminars will focus on breast cancer education and training in breast self-examination and early detection.
Women aged 40+ will be referred to physicians for clinical breast examination and to begin periodic screening mammography.
Program success will be tracked over time by a series of surveys and healthcare patient registry data.
As a key partner, the Turkish Ministry of Health will sustain this project's momentum, fundamentally changing healthcare for generations of women.
Approximately 17,500 to 21,000 women age 18 and over will be directly reached in the training and education sessions and approximately 742,000 girls and women 13 and over will be indirectly reached in these sessions.

O'Brien added that this also will benefit an unknown number of men who could have breast cancer as well as other forms of cancer.

Here is an excerpt from the grant application's Needs and Justification section:

We believe that Rotary can energize the current breast cancer awareness effort in Turkey and help it quickly gain the momentum and critical mass needed to make a difference in the lives of more than 600,000 Turkish women.Turkish and American Rotarian volunteers in Districts 2440 and 6780 have assembled this 3-H Grant application to create a cost effective awareness and education program that reaches both the target population of women and health care professionals in the greater Izmir provincial area at the same time.

"Bring lasting improvement in Turkey's health care system at the neighborhood level so that breast cancer awareness and early detection work is supported and sustained within the neighborhood health clinic's scope of activities."

"This is an historical and dynamic project that has long and far-reaching implications. To the whole team go our thanks and our pledge to do all we can to help!," LaRue said.