Welcome!

The mission of the Avon Foundation for Women Breast Health Outreach Program (BHOP) is to link medically underserved women to breast health education and screening services. Low-income, underinsured, and other marginalized populations often need targeted, customized approaches to help them obtain regular mammograms and clinical breast exams.

Avon BHOP is funding 120 community outreach and breast cancer screening programs nationwide in 2012. Find a funded program in your state or get information about becoming a grantee.

Successful programs are comprised of:

• culturally competent educational strategies
• dedicated staff with specialized language and communications skills
• participation from members of the targeted community who can reach women where they live, work, and worship — offering personalized assistance to women for whom it is often difficult to access health care

Avon BHOP supports programs that:

• recruit women for both first-time and annual screenings
• develop partnerships between community-based outreach providers and local medical providers
• work with health care providers to ensure proper clinical follow-up for abnormal screening results
• educate older women (65 years and over) about Medicare coverage for annual screening mammograms, and assist them in obtaining the service from providers who accept Medicare
• incorporate the use of evidence-based strategies to recruit clients for screening, including one-to-one education, small media (videos, brochures, letters) and support to overcome structural barriers such as transportation, interpretation, and child care assistance

History & Impact

The Avon Foundation for Women, through the Avon Breast Health Outreach Program (BHOP) project, has made the largest contribution ever provided to community-based breast cancer programs in every state in the country. In 2010, Avon BHOP awarded $6 million in grants to 129 community-based, non-profit organizations in the United States.

Funding comes from the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade and is raised through the sale of Avon "pink ribbon" products, as well as a variety of events, races and walks; the U.S. Avon Walk for Breast Cancer series is the Foundation's largest fund-raising source. The Breast Cancer Crusade also receives generous support from Avon Products, Inc.

Since 1993, Avon BHOP has distributed almost $65 million through more than 1,400 grants to community-based, non-profit breast health programs. These agencies have made a significant impact on the lives of thousands of women in need of breast cancer screening services.  Over 1.2 million women have been navigated into screening and over 11 million people have been educated about breast cancer.

Partners

Avon Safety Net Program
Access to Diagnostics and Care
The Avon Foundation Safety Net Program supports regional and community hospitals to enable medically underserved women to access post-screening diagnostics and care. Click on the link above to see a list of currently funded programs.

National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP)
CDC's NBCCEDP provides access to breast and cervical cancer screening services to underserved women all 50 states, the District of Columbia, five U.S. territories, and 12 tribes. Avon BHOP grantees conduct outreach and education to link women with free or low-cost screening services offered through their local CDC-funded breast and cervical programs.

Dr. Susan Love/Army of Women
The Army of Women campaign is driven by the partnerships between women and scientists and between AFW and the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, which aims to accelerate research and prevent breast cancer. Get information about the initiative in English or Spanish.

American Cancer Society (ACS)
The American Cancer Society is a nationwide, community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, the ACS has 13 chartered divisions and more than 3,400 local offices. The American Cancer Society recommends a three-pronged approach for early detection: 1) Yearly mammograms starting at age 40 and continuing for as long as a woman is in good health. 2) Clinical breast exam (CBE) about every 3 years for women in their 20s and 30s and every year for women 40 and over. 3) Women should know how their breasts normally look and feel and report any breast change promptly to their health care provider. Breast self-exam (BSE) is an option for women starting in their 20s.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
The mission of NIEHS is to reduce the burden of human illness and disability by understanding how the environment influences the development and progression of disease.

Chicago Metropolitan Breast Cancer Task Force
The organization consists of a group of dedicated community leaders, advocates, and professionals concerned with the widening disparity in breast cancer mortality in Chicago. They organized at the Breast Cancer Summit: A Call to Action in March 2007 with the goal of writing a report outlining specific actions and public policy recommendations to address breast cancer disparities and improve breast cancer care for all women across Metropolitan Chicago.