Jockey Club funds another Breast Health Centre to provide women with holistic care

10/04/2016

With breast cancer now being one of the leading cancer amongst Hong Kong women, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has provided the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation with funding to set up the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation Jockey Club Breast Health Centre (Kowloon) and to run a three-year holistic Jockey Club Breast Care for You Programme to help better meet the needs of at-risk women in Kowloon and the New Territories.

Today (4 October), Club Steward Margaret Leung joined Chief Secretary for Administration Carrie Lam, Secretary for Food and Health Dr Ko Wing-man, Honorary President of the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation Dr Rita Fan Hsu Lai Tai and Chairman Eliza Fok at the ground-breaking ceremony of the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation Jockey Club Breast Health Centre (Kowloon).

Mrs Leung noted that the Club has long supported the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation, examples being its donations to set up an existing Breast Health Centre in North Point in 2010 and to implement a breast health education and screening programme in 2014.

“The Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation Jockey Club Breast Health Centre (Kowloon) will run the three-year Jockey Club Breast Care for You Programme when completed,” she said. “More than 36,000 women will benefit, including 5,000 low income earners or those facing financial difficulties, who can receive mammography screening and assessment services free of charge. The Club will continue supporting medical development in Hong Kong to benefit even more citizens.”

The Club has donated more than HK$76 million to fund the Centre’s establishment and run supporting programmes. Upon completion by 2017, the Centre will provide holistic services under the Programme, benefiting more than 36,000 persons.

Key services provided by the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation Jockey Club Breast Health Centre (Kowloon) will include:

1.    Educational Programmes – 120 workshops and seminars will be conducted while booths will be set up at nine large-scale exhibitions to raise public awareness of breast health.
2.    Breast Health Assessment – An assessment service and free mammography screening will be provided for women aged 40 or above.
3.    Support Services – A two-pronged approach to providing support for patients and their families will be adopted. Patients will be placed into support groups according to their stage of disease.
4.    Lymphedema Service –For patients who have lymph nodes removed by surgery, lymphedema care services like index measurement and exercise classes will be provided.

The Club has been a staunch supporter of Hong Kong’s medical development, donating more than HK$3.1 billion in this area in the last decade. Apart from the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation Jockey Club Breast Health Centre (Kowloon), the Club provided HK$500 million to establish the Centre for Health Protection in response to the SARS outbreak of 2003. Other projects funded include the establishment of a teaching hospital at The Chinese University of Hong Kong to provide high-quality and affordable medical services for sandwich-class patients; the Hong Kong Jockey Club Innovative Learning Centre for Medicine to help position the city as a regional hub of excellence in simulation based-training.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club
The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a not-for-profit enterprise dedicated to community betterment. Through its integrated business model of world-class racing, responsible sports wagering and lottery, and charity and community contribution, the Club generates substantial economic and social value and assists the Government in combatting illegal gambling. In 2015/16 the Club donated a record HK$3.9 billion to charity and paid a record HK$20.9 billion in tax. It is Hong Kong’s largest single tax payer and one of the world’s largest charity donors. Committed to global excellence and giving back to society, the Club is always “riding high together for a better future” with the people of Hong Kong.