| Hancock
Family Breast Cancer Foundation (Inc.) Affiliated with the Hancock Family Medical Foundation (Inc.) Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. 40% of women who get breast cancer die from the disease. There has been a rising incidence of breast cancer and it is now the most common cause of death for Australian women aged 25 to 65. One woman dies every 4 hours. Nationally more than 7,500 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year and approximately 2,500 women die annually. In an effort to improve these statistics Gina Rinehart spent a great deal of her personal time establishing Australia's first breast cancer foundation, the "Hancock Family Breast Cancer Foundation (Inc.)" in 1993, with sister foundations in the Eastern States of Australia and the USA. Mrs Rinehart has also established the Hancock Family Breast Cancer Foundation Medical Advisory Board, which comprises 8 of the most eminent breast cancer doctors in Australia. She has liaised with leading Members of Parliament and the community who share her concern for women's health issues and breast cancer in particular. She requested the initiation of the establishment of the first Bi-Partisan Parliamentary Committee for Breast Cancer in New South Wales and later Victoria. Her Foundation liaises with foundations and breast cancer centres overseas and Mrs Rinehart regularly visits the USA to keep abreast of breast cancer developments there. It was the success of the Victorian Parliamentary Committee and Premier Jeff Kennett, who announced his government's commitment to funding a $30 million research program over the next 10 years that would be among Gina's greatest assistances for breast cancer in Australia. Before the launch of her Foundation the national expenditure for research was approximately $A1 million per year. Her Foundation also presented one of the largest petitions ever to the Western Australian Parliament in 1996, requesting an increase in State Government spending on breast cancer research from its current $0 per year. Her Foundation has also presented petitions twice to the Federal Parliament in Canberra and significant changes were made to funding for breast cancer. In addition to these efforts, the Hancock Family Breast Cancer Foundation (Inc.) has committed to two very worthwhile projects in both genetic research and palliative care. The Hancock Family Hereditary Breast Cancer Centre was established for women with a potentially high risk of familial breast cancer providing testing and advice. Women and their families are offered genetic and medical management counselling. This service operates from Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and King Edward Memorial Hospital. The Patient Care Service was established in conjunction with the Western Health Authority and operates from Royal Perth Hospital. This centre was established to provide counselling and psycho-therapy service specifically to breast cancer sufferers and their families. The HFBCF (Inc) has established a Medical Advisory Board and significant funding has been provided to research projects under the direction of Professor John Forbes. The Primate and Archbishop of Perth, the Most Reverend Dr Peter Carnley, is the Patron of this Foundation, Mrs Jo Court, the then Premier's wife was the Vice-Patron, the Hon Graham Kierath's wife, Pat Kierath the 2nd Vice Patron, and Mrs Gina Rinehart is the Chairman. For more information contact: Sue Mitchell-Burden Tel: (6 18) 9429 8222 Fax: (6 18) 9429 8266
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