Gloria Gemma Donates to Rhode Island’s Women’s Cancer Screening Program

PAWTUCKET, RI – The Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation kicked off Breast Cancer Awareness Month by hosting the first annual Pink Ribbon Tea at the State House and presented a check to the Rhode Island Department of Health’s Women’s Cancer Screening Program (WCSP), in the amount of $17,760, from the sale of the Ribbon of Hope license plate.

This is the second check given from the sale of license plates, which hit the road in September of last year. The initial check was for $18,500. With a one-time fee of $41.50 for the license plate, $20.00 from each license plate is donated to WCSP and $21.50 covers the production costs. The Foundation receives no money from the sale of this specialty plate; in fact, it actually costs the local organization to process the orders. In addition, the Foundation has been providing support to the WCSP since 2011, and to-date has given the state organization over $86,000.

The WCSP has provided no-cost pelvic exams, Pap tests, HPV tests, clinical breast exams and mammograms to eligible Rhode Island women since 1995. They also cover the cost of many diagnostic tests. And, with the introduction of the Affordable Care Act in 2014, WCSP made changes to its program to help eligible insured women pay their deductibles and co-insurances for procedures related to breast and/or cervical follow-up diagnostic care.

“The need for the type of assistance that the Women’s Cancer Screening Program provides is great in Rhode Island. We are contacted often by Rhode Island women who need this kind the types of services they [WCSP] provide,” said executive director of the Foundation, Maria Gemma.

For more information on the foundation and how to purchase a Ribbon of Hope license plate, please visit www.gloriagemma.org.

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