AMARILLO, TEXAS -- In order to address the specific unmet breast cancer needs of the panhandle community, the Susan G. Komen Greater Amarillo Affiliate works has handed out grants to a tune of $285,000 dollars.

The four programs all provide breast cancer services to the panhandle area, with the goal of saving lives. "It will provide mammograms for women who don't have insurance or who don't have the means to pay for the deductibles. Women will put it off because there's other things in life that they put first you know as mom as a woman," said Julie Evenson, the Radiology Director at the Moore County Hospital. "I have friends that came in for their first screening mammogram and found cancer," continued Evenson. The Moore County Hospital District will use the funds to provide breast cancer screening, diagnostic follow-up and surgical treatment as well as community outreach and education to underserved women in Moore County and the surrounding communities.

That funding will help them reach the community. "We cover the Texas and Oklahoma panhandle and it lets us to reach all those ladies," said Terri Prescott, the Community Manager of Health Initiatives for the Amarillo Cancer Society, a division of the American Cancer Society. It will use the funds for the Amarillo Breast Prosthesis and Lymphedema Accessory Program. It will give the patient emotional support, a kit containing a leisure bra, a lightweight temporary breast form, and rehabilitative exercise educational information.

These grants will provide that detection for free. The money will go specifically to address women in the panhandle by providing education, support, and services, even properly fitted prosthesis.

"Early detection has you know, if you can detect breast cancer early, the chances of you surviving are much longer, it's when we don't detect breast cancer early is that the chance for cure is much less," said Aneta Younger, the Director Diagnostics and Therapeutics at Don Harrington Cancer Center. The funds will be used to help cover screening and diagnostic mammography, breast biopsy, breast MRI, and some treatment regimens for medically underserved women of all ages who are not covered by other funding.

So that's why these programs are so important for those unmet needs.

"This reaches women who might never have mammogram, they will get mammograms through the grant, free of charge," said Leticia Goodrich, Executive Director of the Amarillo Area Breast Health Coalition and Project Director of WISE Woman. The WISE program is a "train the trainer" concept. It selects and trains women in basic breast health practices that stress the value of screening and early detection.

To date, the Susan G. Komen organization has invested $1.3 million in the panhandle's 26 counties.

Here are the 2011-2012 Grant Programs:

American Cancer Society: $10,000

Amarillo Area Breast Health Coalition (WISE Woman): $12,000

Moore County Hospital District: $43,000

The Don & Sybil Harrington Cancer Center: $220,000