Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Receives $8K Grant from The Rite Aid Foundation

Will Expand Colorectal Cancer Screenings

  (Baton Rouge, La.) Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center places great emphasis on early detection and prevention of cancer in addition to treating the disease.  A recent $8,000 grant from The Rite Aid Foundation to expand colorectal cancer screenings, working in partnership with local Councils on Aging across the Center’s 18-parish service area, will be used to screen those over age 50 who are at higher risk for the disease. The Rite Aid Foundation previously awarded a $10,000 grant to Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in 2010. “We are so thankful for the continued support of the Rite Aid Foundation,” said Renea Duffin, vice president, cancer support and outreach. “This funding will allow us to reach more underserved and uninsured people with our free mobile screenings throughout southeast Louisiana.” The Rite Aid Foundation, founded in July 2001, is a not-for-profit foundation dedicated to helping people in the communities Rite Aid serves. Since its inception, The Rite Aid Foundation has awarded grants totaling more than $13 million to approximately 820 organizations in 488 communities. For more information on The Rite Aid Foundation, visit www.riteaid.com. “Rite Aid has long been committed to the health and wellbeing of the communities it serves,” said Gayle Rife, manager, The Rite Aid Foundation. “The Rite Aid Foundation is proud to help support the cancer fight in southeast Louisiana.” Rite Aid operates a total of 65 stores in Louisiana.   Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center is a regional cancer care organization that has been fighting cancer for more than 40 years. With five centers in Baton Rouge, Covington, Hammond, Houma and Gonzales, its service area encompasses 18 parishes across southeast Louisiana.