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The PATH Award recognizes groups or individuals who, through
their hard work and commitment, have improved the lives of people in
their community in the areas of health care, public safety,
education and economic development. The first lady presented Dr. Olopade with the PATH Award at the
state's first "Pink Potluck," a social event that promotes breast
cancer awareness and where women were offered various screenings,
including mammograms and cervical cancer screenings. The first lady
also highlighted the governor's All Kids health insurance proposal,
a landmark program that will make Illinois the first and only state
in the nation to provide comprehensive, affordable health insurance
to all the state's children.
At the Salem Christian Academy on
Chicago's South Side, Mrs. Blagojevich brought a dish to the potluck
and presented the PATH Award on behalf of the governor. Mrs.
Blagojevich created the Pink Potluck campaign as a way for women,
particularly African-American women, to get together socially to
discuss health concerns, experiences and information related to
women's health and to get breast screenings and mammograms. The
potluck also encourages women to keep their health in check by
talking with their doctors about risk factors and preventative
practices. A number of free services were made available to the
women of the Salem Christian Academy at the potluck, including
mammograms and Pap tests; blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol
readings; as well as breast self-exam instructions and
demonstrations.
"Breast cancer is the most frequent type of cancer among women.
We must do all we can to fight this deadly disease, by expanding
access to health care for working families, raising awareness of how
important it is to be screened for cancer and by funding critical
medical research," the governor said. "But we also need help from
doctors, physicians, and researchers so that eventually, we can find
cures for these diseases. Doctors like Dr. Olopade, who are
committed to trying to find a cure for this horrible disease, are
part of today's heroes, and I'm proud to give her this award."
"Breast cancer is a deadly disease that can affect any one of us
women," Mrs. Blagojevich said. "We are very fortunate to have a person like Dr. Olopade in
Illinois who has allowed us to take great steps forward in trying
to find a cure for breast cancer. Hopefully
one day, our mothers, sisters and daughters will not have to endure
this potentially deadly disease."
Olopade is a professor of medicine and human genetics and the
director of Cancer Research Clinic at the University of Chicago. An
international leader in breast cancer research, she continues to
help scientists gain a greater understanding of the disease. She
serves on the medical advisory board of the Young Survival
Coalition, a network of breast cancer survivors and supporters,
which seeks to provide education and resources for young breast
cancer patients. In 2004, she organized an international conference
to promote breast and cervical cancer awareness in Nigeria. She
authored a study that found significant differences between breast
cancers in Caucasian women and in women of African descent. In 2005,
she was named a MacArthur Fellow and was awarded the foundation's
prestigious "genius grant."
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women 20
years of age and older, with an estimated 9,000 women expected to be
diagnosed in Illinois this year. Olopade has a special interest in
women of African descent. While African-American women are not
diagnosed with breast cancer as frequently as Caucasian women, the
mortality rate among African-Americans is 39.3, compared with 25.5
among white women.
The first lady presented a second PATH Award at the annual
meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr. Marilyn
Miller, professor of ophthalmology and director of the Pediatric
Ophthalmology and Strabismus Section at the University of
Illinois-Chicago, received the award for her devotion to children
for over 30 years. In addition to her research and clinical
responsibilities, Miller participates in children's health fairs in
the Chicago area, has a major commitment to international
ophthalmology, especially in children's eye programs, and has taken
many trips to developing countries around the world: Nigeria, India
and Pakistan. She has served on the World Health Organization
Advisory Committee and now is an American Academy of Ophthalmology
representative to the International Agency for the Prevention of
Blindness.
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 "The extraordinary commitment that Dr. Miller has made over 30
years to help children deserves recognition because of the
everlasting impact [she] has made on their lives," said Mrs.
Blagojevich. "Dr. Miller has been involved in anything and
everything having to do with children's eye care. She is one of
today's heroes to many Illinois families."
Miller is on the board of directors of the Foundation of the
American Academy of Ophthalmology, involved in international
programs. She was president of the American Ophthalmological
Society, the Chicago Ophthalmological Society and the American
Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, and
she presently chairs the AAPOS International Affairs Committee. She also
serves on boards and committees at the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research
Institute, Helen Keller International, ORBIS International pediatric
ophthalmology programs and the AAPOS Children's Eye Care Foundation.
She has served for many years on the medical advisory board for the
Division of Specialized Care for Children.
At the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting, Mrs.
Blagojevich addressed over 600 eye doctors on two aggressive health
care initiatives. She informed the doctors about the Illinois
Pediatric Vision Initiative, one of her first initiatives as first
lady. And she highlighted the governor's recently announced All Kids
program, which will make Illinois the first and only state in the
nation to provide comprehensive and affordable health care to all of
the state's children.
The Illinois Pediatric Vision Awareness Initiative was launched
in April 2004, after a friend's son was diagnosed with amblyopia.
Over the course of several months, Mrs. Blagojevich assembled a team
of state agencies to distribute nearly 1 million English and Spanish
brochures to parents, doctors, teachers and local health departments
across the state. Additionally, the Illinois Department of Public
Aid sent notices to physicians urging them to screen children for
ocular disorders and reviewing billing procedures for screenings.
Mrs. Blagojevich announced Saturday that an additional
$200,000 has been allocated for the initiative in a continued effort
towards the health and well-being of the kids in the state. Grants
will be awarded to those who work with the state and are committed
to the prevention and treatment of amblyopia.
Mrs. Blagojevich used a variety of creative tactics to reach
parents whose children do not have access to regular medical
checkups. The Department of Human Services shipped 300,000 brochures
to local WIC clinics and 100,000 brochures to Child Care Resource
and Referral Agencies. The Department of Public Aid gave brochures
to Medicaid-eligible families with young children. The Illinois
State Board of Education distributed brochures to classroom teachers
and parents with children in the Early Childhood Block Grant
Programs. The Department of Children and Family Services handed out
135,000 brochures to foster families, private providers of foster
care and subsidized guardianship families. Brochures were also
available in the first lady's tent at both the Illinois State Fair
in Springfield and the DuQuoin State Fair.
Mrs. Blagojevich also touched upon the governor's All Kids plan
at the annual meeting. Over the past 2½ years, the Blagojevich
administration has worked to expand health coverage for low-income
working parents and their children. Despite these gains,
approximately 253,000 children in Illinois do not have health
insurance. The governor's All Kids program would offer children
access to comprehensive health care, including doctor's visits,
hospital stays, prescription drugs, vision care, dental care and
medical devices like eyeglasses and asthma inhalers.
[News release from the governor's office]
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