COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Mid-Missouri Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure has awarded three grants totaling more than $32,000 to Ellis Fischel Cancer Center. The grants will allow Ellis Fischel to provide a variety of services to breast cancer patients and survivors in 2011 and 2012.

• A $13,731 grant will allow Ellis Fischel Cancer Center to provide cancer risk assessments and genetic testing for 10 underinsured and underserved women living in mid-Missouri starting in 2011. The program will provide awareness and education about breast cancer through outreach programs, as well as genetic counseling and testing.

• A $12,488 grant will allow Ellis Fischel Cancer Center to provide wigs at no cost starting in 2011 to 50 breast cancer survivors with limited financial resources. The wigs can help breast cancer survivors cope with hair loss resulting from cancer treatments. The grant funding also includes a wig fitting, care kit, and cut and styling at a local beauty salon.

• A $6,555 grant will allow Ellis Fischel Cancer Center to host a one-day workshop in the fall of 2011 for 75 breast cancer survivors to deal with the emotional stress that comes with a cancer diagnosis. Breast cancer survivors will be introduced to supportive therapies related to exercise, nutrition and peer support in coping with their diagnosis.

“We are grateful for all the support Ellis Fischel Cancer Center receives from our local Mid-Missouri Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure,” said Kristi Gafford, executive director of Ellis Fischel Cancer Center. “These programs will have a lasting impact on the lives of our breast cancer patients and survivors.”

To participate in any of the grant-funded programs, breast cancer patients and survivors must live in Adair, Audrain, Boone, Callaway, Camden, Chariton, Cole, Cooper, Howard, Macon, Maries, Miller, Moniteau, Morgan, Osage or Randolph counties.

For more information about eligibility or the services offered, please contact Pam Garfias at (573) 882-4289.

Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, a part of University of Missouri Health Care, provides comprehensive cancer care to patients from every county in the state. More than 100 physician specialists and other trained professionals work together to improve and save the lives of cancer patients. Designated Missouri’s official state cancer center in 2004, Ellis Fischel services include inpatient and outpatient treatment and cancer screening.