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HEALTH-FITNESS

Komen group shutters Central Florida breast cancer affiliate

Mike Finch II
mike.finch@news-jrnl.com
Nearly 140 Sugar Mill Country Club golfers participated in the 20th annual Rally for the Cure golf scramble in 2016. Since 1997, Sugar Mill golfers have raised more than $160,000 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation in support of breast cancer research and advocacy. The majority of the money has been used locally to fund breast cancer screening programs for the underinsured and uninsured at Halifax Health and Florida Hospital. [PHOTO BY Derek Morrison]

DAYTONA BEACH — Leaving a gap in its network of services for breast cancer patients, the Central Florida affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation closed this month.

Officials with the organization would not say why, but the mother organization has struggled to recover from numerous missteps in recent years. The Komen Central Florida branch was based in Oviedo, but supported several counties, including Volusia and Flagler.

The closure leaves a void in the metro areas north of St. Petersburg, where the closest affiliate is now located. The North Florida branch in Jacksonville closed "several months ago," Komen officials said.  

Andrea Rader, a spokesperson for the Komen Foundation, said the organization’s “commitment to the people of central Florida remains strong.”

“The area will continue to be supported by Komen through our national mission programs,” Rader said in an email. “In addition, we’re talking with our other Florida Affiliates to determine the best way to maintain a strong network of support for maximum impact in the area.”

The organization is known widely for its annual “Race for the Cure” runs, which is also a big fundraiser held in Orlando. The February event has now been canceled.

“In the past, Halifax Health has received grant funds from the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The foundation has done a lot of work to raise breast cancer awareness,” said Debra Trovato, who oversees cancer research at Halifax Health Medical Center. “This announcement will have no direct effect on the cancer care we provide to our breast cancer patients in the area.”

Komen’s troubles date back to at least 2012 when the organization pulled funding abruptly from Planned Parenthood after pressure from anti-abortion groups. The decision cost them about a quarter of its income in the following years. Last year, an affiliate in Arizona closed.

It’s unclear how any of the broader problems may have affected local affiliates. Last year, the Central Florida branch made $564,133 in revenue — about three-fourths of that was from the annual race, tax records show. Total expenses came in at $603,699, about 75 percent of which was dedicated to research, education, screenings and treatment.

In 2017, the national organization made grants to some of the state’s leaders in cancer treatment: the University of Miami, Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in Tampa, according to the most recent tax documents.

Rader said organizations that expect to receive grants from the Central Florida affiliate will be funded through March 2018.