Desert Sierra Partnership Saves Lives

Last year, our Desert Sierra Partnership program provided access to mammograms to over 16,000 low-income women.  Statistically, one in eight (1,875) of these women will develop breast cancer within her lifetime. The good news is that all of these women will have a much better chance of surviving the disease because of early detection.  When found early the five-year breast cancer survival rate is 96%. 

Although we do not think of our program in terms of dollars and cents, there is an actual cost-savings to what we do that has a significant, positive economic impact on our clients and our community. The cost for treating late-stage cancer is (conservatively) $50,000 per patient.  If each of the 1,875 women screened this year develops breast cancer and it is detected and treated at an early stage through our program the total cost savings will be $93,750,000.

Of course, there is no real way to attach a dollar value to our program. Every woman's life is priceless.