Elaine Hill created a non-profit in 1992 to help women with breast cancer. Now a part of CHI Memorial Foundation, the The Elaine S. Hill Breast Cancer Support Services Fund is used exclusively to develop educational programming and foster outreach in our community focused on breast cancer survivors and their families.
Jeanette Ramirez is the Elaine S. Hill Endowed Nurse Navigator at the MaryEllen Locher Breast Center. She is bilingual in English and Spanish.
The Elaine S. Hill Breast Cancer Support Services Fund at CHI Memorial Foundation helped create the Man Cave at the MaryEllen Locher Breast Center, a space specifically to serve male breast cancer patients in a comfortable and inviting setting.
The Elaine S. Hill Breast Cancer Support Services Fund at CHI Memorial Foundation is used exclusively to develop educational programming and foster outreach in our community focused on breast cancer survivors and their families. The fund was established at CHI Memorial Foundation upon the dissolution of Breast Cancer Support Services Inc, formerly Y-Me of Chattanooga. Ms. Hill founded Y-Me in 1992, after her own breast cancer diagnosis, to assist women with breast cancer.
Since establishing the fund at CHI Memorial, a number of meaningful projects and programs have been funded including:
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Elaine S.
Hill Endowed Nurse Navigator - Nurse navigators help guide every newly diagnosed breast cancer patient through the cancer journey. The Elaine S. Hill Endowed nurse navigator expands this critical service so all breast cancer patients can be served and have someone with them every step of the way. The current Elaine S. Hill Endowed nurse navigator is bilingual in English and Spanish, expanding the program’s reach into the local Hispanic community.
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Man Cave within the MaryEllen Locher Breast Center - This space was created specifically to serve male breast cancer patients in a comfortable and inviting setting.
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Male Breast Cancer Education - Funds have also helped with education on the importance of men's breast health. The American Cancer Society estimated 2,800 men in the United States would be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023.
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Mobile Coach “Pop-up" Stops - The mobile mammography coaches have increased the number of programs in at-risk communities, taking this critical health screening directly to the people who need it.
These initiatives continue Ms. Hill’s work to reach minority women and her efforts in cancer education, both of which earned her local and national recognition, including from the National Breast Cancer Coalition and the National Cancer Institute. Coping Magazine presented her with a Hero Award for Cancer Survivor of the Year in 1998, and she was a Lifetime TV Breast Cancer Hero in 2007.