At the closing ceremony for this year’s Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, Chicago-area women had a little bit more to cheer about. There, the Avon Foundation announced that Mercy Hospital & Medical Center was the recipient of a $260,000 grant award. Mercy Hospital is one of the initial recipients that were announced at the June 7th closing ceremonies of the Seventh Annual Chicago Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Each year, the Avon Foundation awards initial grants at the close of each of the annual Avon Walks for Breast Cancer to local institutions that impact and support access to breast cancer screening, treatment and research.

Mercy Hospital will use the money to support services at the Mercy Comprehensive Breast & Women's Healthcare Center including the purchase of a digital stereotactic biopsy table, which will compliment the completely state-of-the-art digital breast center at Mercy. Sterotactic biopsy is a test that uses a computer to guide a needle to an abnormality detected through mammography. Many of these abnormalities are benign (non-cancerous). The stereotactic biopsy is a non-invasive, accurate way to obtain a tissue sample that is required to obtain a diagnosis and bring relief of anxiety.

“Mercy has been privileged to be the recipient of the generosity of the Avon Foundation for the past three years. It is through this grant, and other’s that Mercy is able to offer quality breast cancer screening and treatment to all women regardless of circumstances, which is the core of our Mercy Mission,” says Sr. Sheila Lyne, President & CEO of Mercy Hospital & Medical Center.

On Friday, June 5th, Mercy dedicated a corridor of its Comprehensive Breast Center to the Avon Foundation, honoring the Avon Foundation for all of their generous grant funding over the past three years for Mercy’s Comprehensive Breast Care Center.

The Avon Foundation has been committed to women’s health for over fifty years, and awarded over $2,400,000 to the Chicago-land area this year, and $1,760,000 to Mercy Hospital over the past three years. The Foundation awarded Mercy Hospital these generous grants due to Mercy’s commitment to women’s health and dedication to awareness, education, and screenings, to furthering the crusade against breast cancer.