Cancer Services Program Honored with W.B. Potter Founder’s Award

The Cancer Services Program of Monroe County, part of the Center for Community Health, was recognized with the 2014 W.B. Potter Founder’s Award on Friday at the Ad Council of Rochester’s Annual Breakfast Celebration at the Riverside Convention Center.

Named for Ad Council founder and legendary Kodak “ad man” Pete Potter, this award recognizes a team — including individuals and organizations — that has succeeded in bringing to life a results-oriented, collaborative initiative that fills a community need, in this case providing free cancer screenings and treatment for those in our community who are uninsured or underinsured.

Candice Lucas, director of Community Health Services for the Center for Community Health, accepted the award on behalf of her team and the men and women it serves. In her remarks, she told the story of a 52-year-old African American man who was screened, diagnosed and treated through the CSP-MC. She also reminded the audience that disparities in health are an undeniable and persistent issue in our region. And even with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, it is projected that more than 300,000 New Yorkers between the ages of 50-64 will still be without health insurance.

“There will continue to be a need for the Cancer Services Program of Monroe County to provide education to men and women in our community about the importance of life-saving cancer screenings, help them navigate a sometimes daunting system and let them know that they are not alone,“ Lucas said.

The Cancer Services Program was recognized for its 20 years of service to the Greater Rochester community. The program got its start in 1993, when it was known as the Women’s Health Partnership. It is the only cancer prevention and screening program in Monroe County. This effort exists to raise awareness and educate about the importance of age-appropriate breast, cervical and colon screenings, and pays for screenings and diagnostic follow-up for uninsured or underinsured men and women ages 40 and older.

During the past 20 years, the CSP-MC has provided more than 40,000 screenings for more than 27,000 people and discovered hundreds of cases of breast, cervical and colorectal cancer.