SACRAMENTO, CA - Susan G. Komen's Sacramento chapter said it's fighting back after the world's largest breast cancer charity cut hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding for breast cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood affiliates nationwide.
"Our affiliate is in opposition to that decision that was made by the national office," Susan G. Komen Sacramento Chapter Spokesperson Paula Birdsong said. "We have a long-standing history in our community and our affiliate of Planned Parenthood because of those services to women, especially low income women and women without healthcare."
Birdsong does not believe the charity should stop giving dollars to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screenings.
The Susan G. Komen Foundation gave Planned Parenthood affiliates nationwide a total of $680,000 a year for breast cancer screenings, which helped 70,000 women get exams in clinics during the last five years.
Critics said putting a stop to the Planned Parenthood funding would be detrimental. However, the Sacramento affiliate hasn't received any grant money for the last 2 years because it hasn't applied.
UNCOVERING KOMEN DOLLARS
The Susan G Komen Foundation has raised nearly $2 billion since it was started in 1982. About 75 percent of what's raised goes to education and awareness, including breast cancer screenings; only 25 percent goes to research and finding a cure.
"That's not good," breast cancer survivor Susan Burlingame said. "The money should go where it's supposed to go, into research to find a cure."
Sacramento resident Adrienne Brooks believes more money should go to research and finding a cure.
"I know a lot of people who are already aware of it," Brooks said.
"I thought when I gave to this charity, it was for research to stop and cure cancer," Shirley Ross Hutcherson wrote on Facebook. "I was given false information."
"Awareness is key," Birdsong responded. "Without that awareness, we've have those incidents go up. And we've seen those numbers going down."
By Suzanne Phan, sphan@news10.net
Twitter: @suzannephan
News10/KXTV