The Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition, Inc. (DBCC) began in 1991 as a small group of community volunteers, led by Maureen Lauterbach, who were committed to decreasing the mortality rate of breast cancer in Delaware. In 1997, DBCC became a 501c(3) non-profit organization serving to raise awareness of breast health issues in Delaware through outreach, education and support to help facilitate early detection and treatment of breast cancer.
In 2000, the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition’s board of trustees hired Vicky Cooke, the first full-time executive director, and opened an office in Downtown Wilmington. Today, DBCC has grown its staff to a combined 17 full-time and part-time employees and has an office serving citizens in each of the three counties in Delaware - New Castle, Kent and Sussex.
DBCC has developed and implemented programs tailored to the unique needs of different populations, including young women with breast cancer, African-American women, Latinas, lesbians, and women with disabilities. DBCC has trained health care providers on providing culturally competent care, and has conducted many educational sessions for the general public through corporate and community organizations. In addition, DBCC has referred thousands of uninsured adults for free and low-cost cancer screenings, and has removed barriers to cancer screenings and treatment by providing interpretation, transportation, and support services.
As a member of the National Breast Cancer Coalition, represented on its board of directors by Eileen Filliben Edmunds, DBCC has worked to support the national organization’s efforts to research the causes of breast cancer and pursue optimal treatments and cures.
In 2004, DBCC partnered with the State of Delaware to manage the Women’s Mobile Health Screening Van program to provide outreach and screening mammography services. In 2009, the mobile underwent an upgrade to digital mammography imaging equipment and began to partner with Beebe Medical Center to coordinate our mammography services. In 2016 a new mammography screening van was unveiled which includes cervical cancer screenings along with glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure testing.
In 2017 upon the retirement of Vicky Cooke, the agency hired Eileen Filliben Edmunds, JD/MBA as the next Executive Director. As a two-time breast cancer survivor who was first diagnosed at the age of 31, Eileen has unique insight into the challenges many survivors face and is creating a film based on her experiences. She is both a former volunteer and board member of the Coalition.
Today, DBCC remains the only organization in the State of Delaware focused solely on breast health issues as they affect the women and men who live here. DBCC also is proud to serve our neighbors in the surrounding communities in Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey.
