Susan G. Komen® addresses racial inequities in breast cancer mortality rates

Black women continue to be at higher risk of dying from breast cancer in the U.S. as reported in Business Wire, and the Susan G. Komen® organization is responding.

Statistics show that black women die from breast cancer at a rate of almost 40% higher than white women, and the cause is not only biological, but also due to drastic racial inequities in healthcare systems, quality of care, and societal factors. 

And black women are experiencing these inequities from diagnosis to treatment: having less access to affordable care, less access to high tech modern imaging, and more likely to face extended waits in follow-up care after mammograms.   

Paula Schneider, president and CEO of Susan G. Komen® believes however that there are solutions to racial disparities that require all parts of the healthcare industry to unite to save lives.  And Komen is leading the charge. 

Komen has developed several programs to address breast cancer inequities like Stand For H.E.R., which stands for Health Equity Revolution and works to address and break down the barriers that make black women at higher risk of death. Also, the Breast Cancer Perspectives in the Black Community section of their website features real stories of real black women in the breast cancer community. To learn more about the Susan G. Komen’s fight against racial injustices, please visit the Health Equity page on their site here. Health Equity Initiative – Susan G. Komen®

breast cancer Health Inequality Racial Inequities in healthcare Susan G. Komen

Last modified: February 20, 2025