Norma F. Pfriem Breast Care Center receives $52,000 from Pink Aid

Fairfield , CT — Women with breast cancer will have increased access to support services from the Norma F. Pfriem Breast Care Center, thanks to a grant from Pink Aid, a grant-based organization founded by Andrew Mitchell-Namdar of Mitchell’s stores; the charity founded by Andrew Mitchell-Namdar of Mitchells Family of Stores; Amy Katz, President of Pink Aid; and Amy Gross and Renée Mandis of WSAA, Inc.

In addition to providing financial assistance for screening and diagnostic services, the grant for $52,000 will help medically underserved women gain access to support services and complementary therapies, such as nutrition counseling, mental health counseling and Yoga.  

Support services help relieve the stress and side effects—physical, financial and emotional—that make cancer treatment more difficult and slow recovery.  The recent expansion of the Norma F. Pfriem Breast Care Center grew out of the efforts to provide women with the tools they need to make treatment less onerous and enhance recovery.

“This gifts means underserved women will have the same access to services as women with insurance or other means of support.  This is so important to the community we serve.  So many of our clients are single mothers or otherwise on their own with no one to turn to when they are faced with a serious illness,” says Dr. Donna Twist, Executive Director of the NPBCC.  “This gift means they will be able to take advantage of therapies and services that make it easier to take part in daily life while undergoing treatment and help speed their recovery.”   

Pink Aid was formed specifically to “fund the efforts of organizations that provide compassionate care so women can go through treatment with the proper care and dignity.”

Part of Bridgeport Hospital and the Yale New Haven Health System, the Norma F. Pfriem Breast Care Center has served more than 20,000 women and their families since it was established in 1999.  A member of the prestigious National Consortium of Breast Care Centers, the Center provides a wide range of diagnostic care and treatment at its Bridgeport Hospital and Fairfield locations, including medical oncology, surgical and chemotherapy services, plastic surgery, mammography and radiation therapy, and genetic risk assessment as well as opportunities to participate in clinical trials.  The Breast Care Center office at 111 Beach Road in Fairfield also provides comprehensive women’s wellness services, including nutrition counseling, massage and Reiki therapy, wig and prosthesis fitting, counseling, yoga, Pilates, naturopathic medicine, and other patient support activities.  The Center has a satellite office on Park Avenue in Trumbull.  For more information call 203.255.5300 or visit the Center on the web.

Bridgeport Hospital, part of Yale New Haven Health, is a non-profit 501-bed acute care hospital with two campuses (plus 42 beds licensed to Yale New Haven Children's Hospital). Its Bridgeport and Milford Campuses serve patients from across the region. The hospital admits more than 23,000 patients and provides nearly 350,000 outpatient treatments annually. The Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital is the only burn center in the state and one of only 64 verified burn centers in the United States. Bridgeport Hospital is committed to providing safe, compassionate and cost efficient care to its patients and the community. www.bridgeporthospital.org