Rite Aid Foundation Grants $20,000 to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for Mobile Health Initiative

CAMP HILL, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Rite Aid Foundation, a private foundation managed by Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE:RAD), announced today it has awarded a $20,000 grant toward the mobile health initiative of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, one of the leading comprehensive cancer care and research centers in the U.S. and a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.

Through the use of two state-of-the-art education and screening vans, Dana-Farber takes its world class expertise in cancer screening and education “on the road” to deliver critical health and wellness services in the community where people live and work. Since 2002, Dana-Farber has offered mobile mammography service in Massachusetts, and has added a second van to offer prostate cancer screening, and skin cancer screening, in addition to education around sun safety, nutrition, tobacco cessation, human papillomavirus (HPV), and gynecologic cancers.

Teaming with neighborhood health centers, schools, faith-based organizations, and public housing developments, Dana-Farber’s Blum Family Resource Center Van initiative provides breast, prostate and skin cancer screenings to women and men who are uninsured, underinsured and underserved and do not have the means to obtain these life-saving screenings. More than 50 percent of those screened speak a first language other than English.

“This is the Rite Aid Foundation’s first grant in the Boston area. Being caring neighbors who are involved in our communities in meaningful ways is one of Rite Aid’s core values,” said Gayle Rife, Manager of the Rite Aid Foundation. “We are pleased to be able to help Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in its important work to provide quality cancer screening and education.”

“We are delighted to partner with Rite Aid Foundation to help expand our community outreach,” said Susan DeCristofaro, RN, MS, OCN, Director of Patient Family Education. “It is our goal to reduce the barriers to health care that exist for thousands of persons of all ages in the greater Boston community, especially among the low income, underinsured and those without any insurance.”

About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (www.dana-farber.org) is a principal teaching affiliate of the Harvard Medical School and is among the leading cancer research and care centers in the United States. It is a founding member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC), designated a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute.

About the Rite Aid Foundation/Rite Aid Corporation

The Rite Aid Foundation, founded in July 2001, is a not-for-profit foundation dedicated to helping people in the communities Rite Aid serves. Rite Aid Corporation is one of the nation’s leading drugstore chains with more than 5,000 stores in 31 states and the District of Columbia with fiscal 2008 annual sales of more than $24.3 billion. Information about Rite Aid, including corporate background and press releases, is available through the company’s website at http://www.riteaid.com.