About Leaders in Women's Health

Leaders in Women’s Health is an amazing group of 35 volunteers deeply committed to changing the narrative for African American women regarding breast health. The group is working strategically with other organizations to think about training, education and early outreach in the African American and medical communities.

In 2011, the Carol Milgard Breast Center Board of Directors commissioned the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department to assess how the organization could best serve under-insured and at-risk populations in Pierce County. The analysis showed that there is significant variation in the incidence of breast cancer, the use of mammography, and socioeconomic barriers to care throughout Pierce County. Specifically the study found the following: African American women in Pierce County were more likely than other groups to be diagnosed at later stages of the disease, to die of breast cancer, and to die at a younger age than women in other groups. (Some reasons may include diagnosis at a later stage, more aggressive tumors, or delays in receiving care following diagnosis.) Breast cancer death rates and premature death from breast cancer were higher in Tacoma, than any other city within Pierce County, despite relatively high rates of mammography screening. Breast cancer incidence, hospitalization and death increased dramatically with age in Pierce County, as elsewhere in the nation.

Leaders in Women’s Health is committed to:

• Developing innovative ways to reach this under-served population to access screenings early
• Identify and address the barriers that African American women face as it relates to their health
• Ensure that any work/effort this task force takes on is embedded in the African American community by using churches as its anchor