Eleven area organizations, including Laughlin Memorial Hospital, have been awarded grants from the Tri-Cities Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® organization.

These grants are awarded "for innovative projects in the areas of breast health and breast cancer education, outreach, screening, and treatment support targeting services not otherwise available to the medically underserved populations," according to a news release from the organization.

The grants were announced earlier this month to organizations in Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Western North Carolina.

The total grant monies provided to the 11 organizations amount to more than $260,000, according to a news release from the Tri-Cities Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization.

Laughlin Memorial Hospital was awarded a $11,287 grant for its "Tell Your Mom, Save a Life" program to raise breast cancer awareness.

The goal of the program is to target female high school students and their mothers, teachers, and other school staff members and to educate them about early breast cancer detection, according to Betty Weemes, executive director of the Laughlin Health Care Foundation, in a news release about the grant.

"Daughters, who are seniors, will educate their mothers and inform their teachers and school staff about the importance of the nationally recognized, three-step program to detect breast cancer in its earliest stage," Weemes said.

The hospital's foundation will partner with the Greeneville City Schools and the Greene County Schools to implement this program with the help of the school systems' health coordinators Valerie Walters and Jeannie Woolsey.

The staff of the Laughlin Center for Women's Health will also be involved with this educational program.

"Both school systems implemented wellness programs in 2007, and the Komen grant project will be a part of the two systems wellness program," Weemes explained.

"Ginger Naseri and her daughter, Nadareh, are also a part of the committee. Nadareh is a student at Chuckey-Doak High School and has been active in developing funds for the Komen Foundation in the past," she added.

The other 10 area organizations that have been awarded Komen Foundation grants are:

* ETSU College of Nursing for "Improving Breast Health;

* "Wellmont Health System for "Project Access to Breast Care;"

* VDH Cumberland Plateau District for "Screening Saves Lives;"

* Lenowisco Health District for "Breast Health;"

* Mountain States Health Alliance for "Knowledge is Power, Caring is Sharing;"

* Tennessee Department of Health for The BeST for TN Women Project;"

* American Cancer Society for "Supporting the Breast Cancer Patient Access to Treatment and Road to Recovery";

* Seby B. Jones Cancer Center for "Breast Cancer Education Group;"

* Mountain States Health Alliance for "Fueling the Journey to Recovery," and

* Holston Valley Medical Center for "Breast Cancer Awareness, Risk Assessment and Evaluation Program for High-Risk Women."

"The Tri-Cities Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure - along with those who generously support us with their talent, time and resources - is working to better the lives of those facing breast cancer in our community," the release says.

"We join more than 100,000 breast cancer survivors and activists around the globe as part of the world's largest and most progressive grassroots network fighting breast cancer," the release says.

Through events like the Komen Tri-Cities Race for the Cure and other third-party events, the area Komen Foundation affiliate has invested more than $365,000 in local breast health and breast cancer awareness projects in Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Western North Carolina, the release says.

Up to 75 percent of net proceeds generated by the Susan G. Komen Tri-Cities Affiliate stay in this region, while the remaining income goes to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Grant Program supporting research, awards and educational and scientific programs around the world, the release says.

For more information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breast health or breast cancer, visit www.komen.org or call toll-free 1-877 GO KOMEN.