THE ROSE

THE ROSE PRIMARY EXEMPT PURPOSE IS PROVIDING ACCESS TO BREAST HEALTH CARE BY OFFERING DIRECT MEDICAL SERVICES AND ACCESS TO TREATMENT REGARDLESS OF THE PATIENT'S ABILITY TO PAY. THE EMPOWER HER SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM ENSURES THAT UNINSURED OR UNDERINSURED WOMEN HAVE ACCESS TO THE SAME STANDARD OF COMPASSIONATE, HIGH QUALITY BREAST HEALTH CARE AS THE INSURED. THE EMPOWER HER PROGRAM OFFERS A CONTINUUM OF CARE THAT STARTS WITH COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND EDUCATION AND THEN MOVES INTO PROVIDING DIRECT MEDICAL SERVICES INCLUDING MAMMOGRAPHY SCREENING, DIAGNOSTIC EXAMS AND BIOPSIES AND FINALLY ACCESS TO TREATMENT AND FOLLOW-UP WHEN A WOMAN IS DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER. SPONSORSHIP IS PROVIDED TO WOMEN MEETING LOW INCOME, UNINSURED OR UNDERINSURED GUIDELINES. IN THIS REPORTING PERIOD, THROUGH EMPOWER HER, THE ROSE SERVED 8,571 INDIVIDUAL, UNDUPLICATED UNINSURED WOMEN AND PROVIDED 14,046 SPONSORED DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES TO MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED WOMEN, INCLUDING DIAGNOSTIC MAMMOGRAMS, BREAST ULTRASOUNDS, PHYSICIAN CONSULTATION, CORE BIOPSIES AND OFFICE VISITS. OF THE UNINSURED PATIENTS, 512 RECEIVED BIOPSIES.TO DIMINISH THE BARRIER OF GEOGRAPHY TO ACCESSING ROUTINE BREAST HEALTH SCREENINGS, THE ROSE'S MOBILE MAMMOGRAPHY HEALTH COACHES TRAVEL FIVE DAYS A WEEK TO PROVIDE BREAST HEALTH SCREENINGS TO INSURED AND UNINSURED WOMEN IN 62 COUNTIES THROUGHOUT SOUTHEAST TEXAS SERVING 11,193 WOMEN OF WHICH, 4,645 WERE UNINSURED. A TOTAL OF 27 WOMEN WERE DIAGNOSED FROM THEIR INITIAL SCREENING EXAM; 14 WERE INSURED AND 13 WERE UNINSURED. 71% OF ALL UNINSURED PATIENTS NEEDING ROUTINE ANNUAL MAMMOGRAPHY SCREENING DID SO VIA THE ROSE MOBILE MAMMOGRAPHY PROGRAM. THIS DATA UNDERSCORES THE NEED FOR ACCESS TO CARE PARTICULARLY IN RURAL AREAS AND SUGGEST THAT THE MAJORITY OF OUR UNDERSERVED CONSTITUENTS HAD LIMITATIONS WITH TRANSPORTATION, ACCESSIBLE AND/OR AFFORDABLE SCREENING FACILITIES IN THEIR HOME COMMUNITIES. WITH THE MOBILE PROGRAM, STRATEGIC COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS GREATLY EXPAND ACCESS TO BREAST HEALTH CARE SERVICES WHERE WOMEN NEED THEM THE MOST. COMMUNITY PATIENT NAVIGATORS ARE UTILIZED TO REACH RURAL COUNTIES, AND ACT AS LIAISONS TO BRIDGE THE GAPS IN HEALTHCARE BY CONNECTING PATIENTS AND HEALTH SYSTEMS TO AREA RESOURCES, ENGAGING NEW PARTNERS AND APPLYING EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTION MODELS THAT INCREASED ACCESS TO CARE FOR THE UNDERSERVED.FOR UNINSURED WOMEN WHO ARE DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER, THE ROSE PATIENT NAVIGATION PROGRAM ENSURES ACCESS TO TIMELY AND AFFORDABLE BREAST CANCER TREATMENT. OF THE 400 PATIENTS DIAGNOSED BY THE ROSE IN THIS REPORTING PERIOD, 223 WERE INSURED AND 177 WERE UNINSURED. FOR UNINSURED PATIENTS, THE ROSE'S PATIENT NAVIGATORS SECURE TREATMENT WITHIN 30 DAYS OF DIAGNOSIS THROUGH STATE-FUNDED HEALTHCARE PROGRAMS OR THE ROSE PHYSICIAN NETWORK. WITH THE ROSE PATIENT NAVIGATION PROGRAM, OUR PATIENTS GAIN DIRECT ACCESS TO AN EXTENSIVE NETWORK OF PHYSICIANS AND TREATMENT AT LEADING MEDICAL FACILITIES SUCH AS MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER, HOUSTON METHODIST AND HARRIS HEALTH.PATIENT NAVIGATORS ALSO PROVIDE BREAST CANCER EDUCATION TO THE PATIENT AND HER FAMILY, SUPPORT DURING MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS, TRANSLATION, SUPPORT GROUPS, WIGS AND PROSTHESES AND UP TO FIVE YEARS' OF SURVIVORSHIP SUPPORT POST-DIAGNOSIS TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE TO TREATMENT AND REGULAR SCREENINGS. OTHER SERVICES INCLUDE TRANSLATION, SUPPORT DURING MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS, RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING NUTRITION AND EXERCISE DURING TREATMENT, ALONG WITH ACCESS TO SUPPORT GROUPS. TO FURTHER MINIMIZE THE FINANCIAL BURDEN TO UNINSURED PATIENTS, THE ROSE PATIENT NAVIGATION PROGRAM PROVIDES GAS CARDS TO OFFSET TRANSPORTATION EXPENSES TO TREATMENT AND PROCURES FREE OR LOW-COST WIGS AND PROSTHETICS. THE ROSE NAVIGATED 187 (177 UNINSURED AND 10 INSURED) PATIENTS INTO TREATMENT AND 812 PATIENTS RECEIVED SURVIVORSHIP SUPPORT ASSISTANCE.THE ROSE WAS THE FIRST HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATION IN THE STATE OF TEXAS TO IMPLEMENT A PATIENT NAVIGATION PROGRAM (IN 1999), AND THIS EVIDENCE- BASED PRACTICE IS NOW UTILIZED IN OTHER COMMUNITY CLINICS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IN MARCH 2021, THE ROSE INITIATED THE MAMMOGRAM TO MEDICAL HOME PROGRAM TO PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL LEVEL TO ACCESS TO CARE FOR THE UNINSURED POPULATION. UNINSURED WOMEN OFTEN LACK A PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN OR A COMMUNITY CLINIC AND ARE NOT ABLE TO SECURE A REFERRAL THAT IS REQUIRED FOR A MAMMOGRAM. UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF AN EXTERNAL MEDICAL DIRECTOR AND LED BY A NURSE PRACTITIONER, THROUGH THE MMH PROGRAM, UNINISURED ARE ABLE TO RECEIVE A HIGH-LEVEL MEDICAL EVALUATION, A CLINICAL BREAST EXAMINATION, REFERRAL TO NO COST BREAST IMAGING PROCEDURES AND ONCE COMPLETED, A PATIENT NAVIGATOR ASSISTS THE WOMAN IN FINDING A MEDICAL HOME. UNINSURED WOMEN HAVE A VARIETY OF HEALTH NEEDS AND THE MEDICAL HOME WILL COMPLETE A CONTINUUM OF CARE. THE PROGRAM IS OFFERED AT BOTH CENTERS AND IS AVAILABLE TO WOMEN FROM ALL SERVICE AREAS.