About

Summary

    Who we are

The Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition (DBCC) is a 501(c)(3) empowers communities by raising awareness of breast health issues through survivor-ship support services,
outreach, and education, in order to facilitate the early detection and treatment of breast cancer. DBCC encourages everyone to share and advocate breast health awareness.
We help those with low incomes and those with little or no insurance receive free or reduced-cost care.

Vision

    What we want

Our vision is to create a community where every person diagnosed with breast cancer becomes a survivor, and fear and doubt are replaced with knowledge and hope. The DBCC also supports the National Breast Cancer Coalition’s advocacy efforts to end breast cancer.

Mission

    What we plan

Our mission is to empower our community by raising awareness of breast health issues through outreach, education and support services,
in order to facilitate the early detection and treatment of breast cancer.

History

    What we have achieved

The Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition, Inc. (DBCC) began in 1991 as a small group of community volunteers, led by Maureen Lauterbach, who was committed to decreasing the mortality rate of breast cancer in Delaware.
In 1997, DBCC became a 501c(3) non-profit organization serving to raise awareness of breast health issues in Delaware through outreach, education, and support to help facilitate early detection and treatment of breast cancer.
In 2000, the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition’s board of trustees hired Vicky Cooke, the first full-time executive director, and opened an office in Downtown Wilmington. Today, DBCC has grown its staff to a combined 17 full-time and part-time
employees and has an office serving citizens in each of the three counties in Delaware – New Castle, Kent, and Sussex.
DBCC has developed and implemented programs tailored to the unique needs of different populations, including young women with breast cancer, African-American women, Latinas, lesbians, and women with disabilities.
DBCC has trained health care providers in providing culturally competent care and has conducted many educational sessions for the general public through corporate and community organizations.
In addition, DBCC has referred to thousands of uninsured adults for free and low-cost cancer screenings and has removed barriers to cancer screenings and treatment by providing interpretation, transportation, and support services.
As a member of the National Breast Cancer Coalition, represented on its board of directors, DBCC has worked to support the national organization’s efforts to research the causes of breast cancer and pursue optimal treatments and cures.
In 2004, DBCC partnered with the State of Delaware to manage the Women’s Mobile Health Screening Van program to provide outreach and screening mammography services.
In 2009, the mobile underwent an upgrade to digital mammography imaging equipment and began to partner with Beebe Medical Center to coordinate our mammography services.
In 2016 a new mammography screening van was unveiled which includes cervical cancer screenings along with glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure testing. At the end of 2018, the program transitioned from the Women’s Mobile Health Screening Van program to the Women’s Health Screening program.
The new program focuses on navigating patients to freestanding screening facilities across the state of Delaware.
Today, DBCC remains the only organization in the State of Delaware focused solely on breast health issues as they affect the women and men who live here. DBCC also is proud to serve our neighbors in the surrounding communities in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey.