Kay Yow Cancer Fund and Georgia Alliance for Breast Cancer award $60,000 to Atrium Health Navicent on Tasha Butts Day
The Kay Yow Cancer Fund, Georgia Alliance for Breast Cancer, and Atrium Health Navicent are teaming up to provide funding for life-saving access, education, and cancer screening for under-resourced women in Milledgeville, Georgia.
Milledgeville-native Tasha Butts played for the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx before serving as an assistant coach for multiple NCAA women’s basketball teams including Georgia Tech and Louisiana State University before being named head coach for the Georgetown University Hoyas in 2023. A servant leader committed to breaking down barriers to quality health care, Butts lost a two-year battle with breast cancer Oct. 23, 2023.
The city of Milledgeville presented a proclamation naming Oct. 18, 2024, as Tasha Butts Day during a Friday ceremony at Baldwin County High School attended by community members and Butts family representatives.
The Kay Yow Cancer Fund and Georgia Alliance for Breast Cancer also awarded Atrium Health Navicent with $50,000 and $10,000 grants respectively to support a mobile mammography program set to launch later this year which will increase access to breast cancer screenings.
“Access to high quality health care, including mammograms and cancer care, is vital in helping women across central and south Georgia live fuller, healthier lives,” said Atrium Health Georgia Market President Delvecchio Finley. “Atrium Health Navicent is thankful for support from the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and Georgia Alliance for Breast Cancer in spreading awareness and helping to expand access to life-saving mammograms.”
Breast Cancer is the second most common cancer among American women and it’s recommended that most women receive a baseline mammogram at age 40, but for those with increased risk factors, screening may be recommended at an earlier age.
"We are honored to commemorate Tasha Butts Day by supporting Atrium Health Navicent in their mission to improve health, elevate hope, and advance healing – for all,” said Ray Roberts, Director of Community Engagement at the Georgia Alliance for Breast Cancer. “This grant represents our commitment to fostering positive change and reflects Tasha Butts' unwavering spirit of generosity and service."
The Kay Yow Cancer Fund also conducted an Empowerment Tour at the school on Friday. The Empowerment Tour provides a way to empower the younger generation, encouraging them to use their platform and influence to help break down barriers to quality cancer health care for their loved ones. Through the Tour, the Fund’s goal is to reach thousands of people and communities nationwide.
"Bringing communities together has always been at the heart of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Having the opportunity to do this alongside the city of Milledgeville, Atrium Health Navicent, and the Georgia Alliance for Breast Cancer for the local community is exactly what Coach Yow envisioned," said Jenny Palmateer, CEO of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
Spearheaded by women’s basketball coaches, players, officials, and fans, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund has been able to award $8.78 million in the fight against all cancers affecting women. Together with our partners and through public displays of support like this one, we are able to raise awareness and provide strength, hope, and courage to those who are battling the disease.
“Much like our founder, Coach Kay Yow, Tasha used her own battle with cancer and her platform to uplift others. Through these grants, screenings and the Empowerment Tour, her impact will live on,” Palmateer said.
Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin will be hosting a mammogram marathon on Saturday, Oct. 19 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Breast Imaging Center, located at 821 N. Cobb St. in Milledgeville. No appointment is necessary. For additional information, call 478-633-2003.
About the Kay Yow Cancer Fund
The Kay Yow Cancer Fund was officially founded on December 3, 2007, from the vision of the organization’s namesake, Kay Yow, former NC State University head women’s basketball coach. Coach Yow was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 before succumbing to the disease on January 24, 2009. The Kay Yow Cancer Fund is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to raising money for life-saving cancer research, underserved programs that provide access to quality cancer healthcare, and uniting people in the fight against all cancers affecting women. The Kay Yow Cancer Fund has awarded $8.78 million in the fight against all cancers affecting women. For more information on the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, or to donate, please visit KayYow.com.
About the Georgia Alliance for Breast Cancer
Georgia Alliance for Breast Cancer is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our mission is to engage with Georgia’s breast cancer community to increase access to care and reduce disparities in cancer outcomes. For more information, please visit https://gaabc.org.
About Atrium Health Navicent
Atrium Health Navicent is the leading provider of health care in central and south Georgia and is committed to its mission of elevating health and well-being through compassionate care. Atrium Health Navicent is part of Advocate Health, which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Navicent provides high-quality, personalized care in 53 specialties at more than 50 facilities throughout the region.
As part of the largest, integrated, nonprofit health system in the Southeast, it is also able to tap into some of the nation’s leading medical experts and specialists with Atrium Health, allowing it to provide the best care close to home – including advanced innovations in virtual medicine and care. Throughout its 125-year history in the community, Atrium Health Navicent has remained dedicated to enhancing health and wellness for individuals throughout the region through nationally recognized quality care, community health initiatives and collaborative partnerships. It is also one of the leading teaching hospitals in the region, helping to ensure viability for rural health care for the next generation. For more information, please visit http://www.navicenthealth.org/.
About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit integrated health system in the United States –created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois, Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama, and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.