A breast cancer awareness event aimed at black women will be held Sept. 20.

The event, Sisters’ Night Out, is being offered as part of a $10,000 grant New Horizons Healthcare received earlier this year from the American Cancer Society. The grant was intended to pay for educational classes aimed at blacks living in northwest Roanoke.

New Horizons, which is federally subsidized to treat patients regardless of income or medical insurance, first held a Sisters’ Night Out program in 2011.

In establishing the program, New Horizon’s has focused in on data from the American Cancer Society that black women are diagnosed with breast cancer at a later stage, and have lower 5-year survival rates than white women.

“However, we also know that breast cancer rates among all women, regardless of race or ethnicity, are unacceptably high,” said Eileen Lepro, executive director of New Horizons, in a news release. “We can make a real difference by encouraging and supporting women in being screened as per American Cancer Society guidelines, to find and treat breast cancer at an early stage. “

The grant will also support future educational workshops focused on early cancer detection.

Here the event details:

Date:  Sept. 20
Time:  6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Location: St. John’s Episcopal Church, located at the corner of Elm Avenue and Jefferson Street in downtown Roanoke.
More information: 540-362-5158