Introduction: [00:00:00] Welcome to Let’s Talk About Your Breast, a podcast brought to you by The Rose Breast Imaging Center of Excellence and a Texas treasure. I’m Dorothy Gibbons, your host and co-founder of The Rose. During this season, you’ll also be hearing from co-host Roxann Hayford and others as we bring you stories from survivors, physicians, caregivers, researchers, employees, and supporters. These are real people sharing difficult times, celebrations, and personal stories of hope, despair, and faith. We welcome your suggestions, and we would also love to hear about your story. Thank you for joining us, and thank you for supporting The Rose and our mission. Together, we are saving lives.
Roxann: Hi, Ana. Thank you so much for joining us on our podcast, Let’s Talk About Your Breasts.
Anna: Thanks for having me. I appreciate that.
Roxann: Of course, of course. So why don’t you tell our listeners a little bit about your role here at The Rose?
Anna: I serve on the [00:01:00] development team, and our development team is responsible for the fundraising, uh, through special events, some individual giving. And my role specifically is that I write grants to foundations, to organizations to support our work at The Rose. So I’m basically a writer most days, and, um, w- that’s the way I solicit funds on behalf of our organization.
Roxann: So what does that application process look like? I’d imagine it’s a little different for everybody.
Anna: Yes.
Roxann: But tell me a little bit what that is about.
Anna: It can vary. Uh, it varies A lot. Some of the organizations that we apply to, it’s a matter of fi- filling out some, um, their particular forms, and then we just email it back. For other organizations, it’s much more complicated and requires us to carefully review their strategic plans and what they wanna do in the community and align and figure out if it aligns with what we want to do.
And when it does, then you, we go through their process, which could be a portal where I’m putting information in, which could include a site visit, [00:02:00] um, and or it could im- or it could imp- include they wanna see an annual report. They wanna… They always wanna see our financials. So they really want to learn about us, what we want the money for, and, um, how we’re gonna use that money in the community.
Roxann: Now, I know every contribution is important. Every contribution-
Anna: Yeah, absolutely …
Roxann: matters, but can you explain or tell us a little bit about some of the entities that we currently get funding from, and are these state? Are they federal? Are they just local organizations?
Anna: There are a couple, um… You’re right. Every donation is important, but there are a couple of, uh, contri- uh, donors who give us access to more than just money. So for example, we have a grant, um, that from the state, it’s called the Breast and Cervical Cancer Services Program, and it’s a combination of state money and some CDC money. And so we’re able to f- provide screening, diagnostic care for women who meet the criteria, which again, is uninsured, [00:03:00] and women who have a federal poverty level of less than 200%, which is 66,000 for a family of four. So when we provide that, when we receive that grant, that means that we can also participate in the treatment program. So there is a Medicaid-like program, um, that’s attached to that.
Roxann: Okay.
Anna: So it’s important for us to get that money for the screening and diagnostic care, but then also it gives us an avenue to provide some women actual cancer treatment through that program. Um, and so that’s an important program. I think it’s also important that we have a service area of 45 counties And, um, a lot of, uh, many of our foundations wanna impact their community. So if somebody was, um, from Fort Bend wants to, uh, he contributed to that particular foundation, they wanna make sure that the money is in Fort Bend. Um, and so we look at what our geography alignment is, and we wanna make sure that we are op- we [00:04:00] have the opportunity to apply for those funds, but we also have the opportunity to apply for state funding or, um, big foundations who, um, are in, uh, who want to serve a larger swath of, uh, of a community.
Roxann: We were talking a little bit before the show, and we were talking about it’s more than mammograms. It’s more than that screening. So I’m glad that you talked about the treatment programs and everything because I think sometimes people think it’s a donation and you help one person-
Anna: Yeah …
Roxann: get a screening, but it’s so much more than that, so.
Anna: Yeah, thank you for saying that because I think one of the things with, um, and one of the foundations that we are very fond of and who’s been a longtime partner with The Rose is the Episcopal Health Foundation. And they serve the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, which is 81 counties.
Roxann: Wow.
Anna: And they have very specific a, um, goals that they wanna accomplish, and one of those goals is strengthening comprehensive care in communities. Well, mammography’s a part of comprehensive care. It’s not the only thing, but it’s a part of a, um, of a larger group [00:05:00] of, you know, so, uh, it’s a part of something bigger. Um, and so when we can go into those communities and offer through our mobile coaches in our mo- mobile program a m- mammogram, we are now part of a s- a healthcare system, and we’re changing that in communities that don’t have access, who don’t have a mammography facility.
Roxann: Right. Now, you said 81 counties.
Anna: 81 counties.
Roxann: And I know The Rose itself covers 45 counties- with our coaches, a fleet of five pink coaches. But to give other listeners who might not be in Texas an, an-
Anna: Mm …
Roxann: idea of how large that really is, can you explain that?
Anna: Yes.
Roxann: Do you have an example?
Anna: Yeah, so our 45 counties are the same, um, geographical land mass as the state of Indiana.
Roxann: Oh, wow.
Anna: When you take a look at our population of over nine million, it’s, uh, bigger than most states. Right? And so not only are we vast and large, we’re also very diverse. So we have extremely rural communities, and then of course, we have the, one of the densest [00:06:00] po-
Roxann: Mm …
Anna: uh, metropolitan areas in the country in Houston, uh, in the greater Houston area, which is sadly also the metropolitan area that has the most number of, and percentage of uninsured residents. So we have a… It’s huge. It’s big. Um, we have a lot of people, and we s- we have a very diverse group that requires our attention in different ways to make sure that everyone gets the opportunity and the access to the services we provide.
Roxann: Now, now I wanna back up just a little bit. As far as your, as, as far as your career and your role, so have you always done public health, public funding? Um, uh, what kind of interested you in that?
Anna: Well, it’s, um, uh, sometimes, I wish I could say it was an intentional, but I, I do believe in a higher power, and sometimes He works in mysterious ways, and sometimes not so much. And so my first job out of college was at the American Cancer Society.
Roxann: Okay.
Anna: And so I spent, um, um, 20 years working at the [00:07:00] American Cancer Society.
Roxann: Wow.
Anna: Um, and so And I went, I got the opportunity to go back and work where I come from, which is South Texas. And so I, ever since then, I just… It got, it got to be something I really enjoyed, um, and something I knew I could make a difference- even just a little bit. Um, and so it, I just kind… That kinda set my career path, that first, that first job.
Roxann: Now, and how about breast health? How did you come to breast health and funding?
Anna: So of course, breast health is a part of the American Cancer Society-
Roxann: Right …
Anna: so it’s always present, but I do have probably 10 years, or maybe longer into my career, I had… My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. And I remember when we first started with the American Cancer Society, we used to do, uh, one month or a week where you could get a free mammogram, and you got a voucher.
So I was, I worked that project- Oh, wow … and I took my mom to her mammogram with a voucher that she qualified for, and back then it was like $75. It was just crazy. And so I went with her. What I didn’t know is that she didn’t go [00:08:00] back. And so she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 58, and it was a very aggressive form- and it was very late. Um, so I was already working in the arena.
Roxann: Yeah.
Anna: And then this happens, and there’s nothing quite like that to guide your decision. Makes you have.
Roxann: Passion.
Anna: Yeah. Exactly. So that was, that’s kinda where my passion comes from- for the issue, and how it doesn’t have to be like that for an, for other women.
Roxann: Well, what are some of those other things you learned through that experience? Obviously, having that family connection, there’s the emotional and, and things, but was it really eye-opening for you to watch? Because you were familiar with the process.
Anna: Yeah. You’re right.
Roxann: You knew what to do and who to talk to, but now you have somebody in your family.
Anna: Yeah. I do remember one of my best friends told me, “You’re so lucky. You have… You work in the arena. You have so much information. That’s great, and, and your brothers, they don’t, so they’re not.” And I’m like, “You know, at this kind of, at this point in my life, I would rather be on the other side.” [00:09:00] Um, because I knew enough to know what my mom was going to face because of how late she was diagnosed.
Um, and so I think that, um, but it does… I think the biggest thing was I saw it from the outside as a program and a project, and it was important to me because I knew that it, it needed to be done, but then it becomes, like you said, very personal. Um, and what I learned is that it’s so important that women advocate for themselves, that we learn to do, that we learn to be our best advocate because I remember asking my mom why y- Why, is this the, when was the last time?
And it was that first immediate, like, how could we get to this point kind of thing. And, um, I thought, “Well, the doctor never told me that.” So that was a little bit difficult to hear. But at the same time, uh, when she went through cancer treatment, you have to be your best advocate. You have to ask the questions.
I remember we would I would go with her to the doctor, and he would ask her questions like, “So pain? Are you [00:10:00] sleeping?” And she’d go, “Oh, no, I don’t have any pain. I’m sleeping fine.” And I’m like, “No, you’re not.” Because we are taught that we don’t disrupt. You know, we’re … So it’s nice to be nice and respectful and yes ma’am, no sir, but at some point, it, you need to say, and so I think it’s important that either you be the advocate, and if it’s not a role you’re comfortable in, you gotta bring somebody that is.
And so my mom had her sisters and me, so we did a lot of that. My, my mom’s sisters carried the burden of that. But, um, I think that is the most important thing, whether you have breast cancer or you’re dealing with diabetes or high cholesterol-
Roxann: Right.
Anna: You have to ask, you have to be aware, and you have to be able to advocate on your behal- on your own behalf.
Roxann: Yeah, I think that’s a really important message, and just with so many, um, podcast episodes we have done with patients and caregivers, that is just a recurring theme, that you have to advocate for yourself. And I agree that we also have heard that a lot, that well, you know, the physician said this, and I just, I, I didn’t- Took it.
Anna: Yeah.
Roxann: I just took it, and you know, they’re the ones who know and, and that’s it. [00:11:00] Um, but it is okay to ask more questions, and it’s okay to not understand what somebody said and then just dig a little deeper or dig as deep as you need to to get the answer. So do you find that now, you know, here working with The Rose and, and the programs that we have, do you feel like the women still face the same kinda barriers that you saw your mother facing or having those same kind of issues with speaking up that maybe your mother had as well?
Anna: And this may be upbringing and s- uh, my age and maybe a little stereotypical, but I do think that we are taught to n- to get, go along, to get along, right? And you say, “Yes, sir. No, sir.” And the longer you live with that, the harder it is. So I do think as you, if, if you don’t break that habit… And so I think that I think probably still happens today, particularly when it’s, you’re not, you’re not supposed to have br- you’re not supposed to have a lump. You’re 27. You know, it may be nothing, but she needs to be able to a- advocate on her own. Um, so I do think that some women are better, but I also think we’ve done a much better job of recognizing what, a- a- [00:12:00] hopefully communicating that you have that right. You can do that. Right. This is not, doesn’t feel right.
You should go y- and you should ask for a second opinion. So I think we’re a little bit better, but I still think there’s m- work to do in that arena in terms of I have a right to be here, I have a right to ask the questions. Um, and for so many women, which I think is why our organization’s so important, is they don’t ever feel like they had it because they don’t have insurance or they don’t have money. So, you know, they, it’s not, it sh- they should have the same access to what women who are insured have. And that’s what we try to do every single day is that there is no difference-
Roxann: Right, right …
Anna: when you walk in our doors.
Roxann: Right. And even, I know that even our doctors, when you come in for an appointment here, they don’t know who has insurance-
Anna: Yeah.
Roxann: And who doesn’t have insurance. They’re here to.
Anna: Here to help everybody equally. They’re gonna read your mammogram.
Roxann: Right. Right.
Anna: They’re gonna treat you how, a, w- whatever comes, whatever film comes before them.
Roxann: Right. Right. Now, you mentioned American Cancer Society. So w- uh, when did you make the switch to The Rose? Had you always been aware of The Rose? Was it on your [00:13:00] radar?
Anna: You know, I, um, I actually came to The Rose to a conference, like a very long time ago, with a team from San Antonio, which is where I used to live, where I live now, but where I started my career, I should say. Um, and I remember meeting Dorothy and sitting in the conference room, and it was about, it was a, a breast health collaborative that used to be a part of what The Rose, uh, uh, in, in Harris County, and we came to learn more about it to see if we could d- duplicate it where we were. So I came a long time ago. Um, but then I, my family moved to Houston a few, um, about six years ago, and, um, as I applied for a job, I got a phone call, and it was from my old colleague at the American Cancer Society who happened to work at The Rose.
Roxann: Okay.
Anna: So it’s the providence there that I got reconnected, and I was really grateful to be able to, to come to work here.
Roxann: Oh, yes, yes. We’re, we’re very glad to have you.
Anna: Thank you. That’s sweet.
Roxann: And I’m sure-
Anna: Or as Dorothy says-
Roxann: Yeah. …
Anna: The Rose chose me.
Roxann: Yes, The Rose chose you. As I’m sure our patients are very happy to, [00:14:00] to have you, because I know you work on a lot of different grants- and, um, help a lot of different programs. So can you tell us a little bit about some of the programs that these grants help fund?
Anna: R- right. So most of the grants that we receive are to help the uninsured. So we have a program called the EmpowerHER Sponsorship Program. So through that vehicle, we are able to provide screening and diagnostic mammography, um, and all of the breast care services, the whole continuum of care from beginning until the resolution.
Um, but I think it’s also, we wanna make sure and address some rural issues. So, um, we specifically address, we take our money and we use that in our rural communities based on that donor. Much of our money goes through the EmpowerHER Sponsorship Program, which is the vehicle in which we provide breast care service just, breast care services to our uninsured. Um, but we also do other things ’cause it’s, it’s important to have funding for, for example, one of my favorite is Keep Mobile on the Road. Like, we have a fleet of five mobile coaches, as you mentioned earlier, and they are out on the road in [00:15:00] Southeast Texas every single day. And if you’ve ever driven a car in Southeast Texas, you know it’s a bumpy road. And it’s a 45-foot, very heavy vehicle. So one of my favorite funds, I don’t, it’s because we can keep mobile on the road. It’s that we need money to make sure that those coaches stay because it’s much, um, it costs us a lot less to keep them on the road, maintained, updated, than to buy a new one. So, um, we, we have some funding for, um, making sure that our, that our vehicles stay well-maintained. And you don’t necessarily think about that, but if one of our coaches goes down, that’s 20 w- screening, 20, 25 screenings- a day. So that is very important to us as much as, you know, the EmpowerHER program is.
Roxann: Well, and not only that, but that might be, that coach might be going to a community that doesn’t have any breast health services, so this is that one chance maybe or-
Anna: That that, those 25 people had that day, and so now we’re, they’re waiting longer and trying to figure out when that goes. So it’s really, I think it’s really important for us to really [00:16:00] pay attention to some of that.
Roxann: Definitely. I know you’ve been helping public, public health funding for- uh, quite a while now. What has changed from when you first started your career to now? What are some of those differences you see?
Anna: In terms of fun- of how we fundraise?
Roxann: Yes, how we fundraise, and maybe perceptions and attitudes with whether it’s a political climate has changed or just in general within society.
Anna: Well, the- there’s a definitely a different climate in the environment in terms of federal funding. Um, we don’t have a whole lot of federal f- we don’t receive federal funding, but we have seen our partners really, um- Some of our partners have been affected. And as I mentioned, we’re part of an ecosystem, and so it, all of us have to really work together to do our little piece to make this go. Um, and so we have seen some changes in, uh, some of our partners and some of the clinics. Um, but what’s interesting to me is when you’re a nonprofit, you’re always, uh, trying to raise money.
That’s just, no matter what role you have- you’re always- Right. you, you have a piece of it or you’re a part of it. And [00:17:00] it’s much more intentional today because those foundations and those donors, they, they trust our organization, but they wanna make sure that what we are doing impacts the community. How are we changing something? And based on their priorities, if they’re improving access to care, how are we doing that? And it’s our, my job- to tell them why they should give us their money so that we can too impact what they believe is a priority. And so it’s not just a mammogram. It’s so, so much more. It’s making a community better by the work that we do. And how you tell that story varies from a small community, a small foundation, or a family g- um, foundation to a large institution or a state institution.
But in the end, ev- the money today, the money that we receive, people want to see it make a difference. And not only do we tell them, we have to show them through data and numbers and outcomes and surveys. We have to be [00:18:00] significantly much, uh, we have to pay attention to that as much as the request- ’cause we wanna make sure that we’re showing that we are making an impact.
Roxann: Now, if there are any grant officers that are listening to this episode right now, what would you like for them to know about not only The Rose, but how well we steward the funding that comes in?
Anna: Yeah.
Roxann: I know you mentioned right now what some of those requirements are, but I’d just like to make sure that everybody is aware about how we handle those things here at The Rose.
Anna: Well, first I’ll say, um, I was on a conference call a long, long time ago when, when a donor said, “Well, I’m just, I’m not just going to give money for mammograms.” So the first thing I would say is, you’re not just giving money for a mammogram. The mammogram is an important part of comprehensive care for women. And women are incredibly important to the economy and to a community and to a family, and it can impact for generations to come. Um, so I think that’s important.
But I– And so when we talk about what we do We are in communities [00:19:00] changing the healthcare system in communities that may lack pieces of it, so we can fill in that gap. We can, in, um, we become by extension a part of the clinic in Ang- at Angelina County, for example- or in Rusk. Um, and we are able to change that community’s, the availability of, of, of community services.
Um, and then other thing is that I think that we as, uh, once a- we’re not n- it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re, we’re done with you when we’re, when your mammogram is done. If we have an opportunity to connect you to a community clinic where you can get all of your healthcare needs met, we’re gonna try and do that for you. Um, because it, it’s important that all of it, not just the mammogram, but the diabetes or your, you checking your blood pressure, all the things that, uh, make a woman healthy are, are taken care of.
Roxann: And I think that’s something really important to note because I know here at The Rose, any program that we offer, we wanna make sure there’s some sort of follow-up.
Anna: Yes.
Roxann: It’s [00:20:00] not a, “Here’s an answer, and now you’ve gotta figure out the next steps.” “And here’s a phone number to call.”
Anna: No. So if you have a cancer diagnosis, our nav- patient navigation to treatment team will help you find a program to, where you can land and get cancer treatment started. We have some navigators who can help you find a primary care clinic where you can get the rest of your clinic and, uh, um, your healthcare needs and even that of your family’s.
We also know that if a woman has a medical home, she’s more likely to come back for- Right … for repeat ma- mammograms. And if you have a mammogram at The Rose, whether insured or uninsured, and it’s normal, you’re gonna get a reminder in, in a year that’s gon- that’s going to help you schedule your time, uh, schedule the time to come back and, um, get your repeat. So I, you’re right. It’s not just, we don’t, it’s not the end. It’s the be- it’s a relationship that we build with our patient, whether insured, uninsured, um, so that they can continue to come back.
Roxann: Thank you so much for being with us and telling us about your role here, um, at The Rose and-
Anna: Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.
Roxann: Of [00:21:00] course, and all of the, uh, programs and services and how important every dollar is really and, um, that they’re going to the right places, they’re going to the right communities, and we’re helping people where they are. We’re meeting them where they are. So, um, is there any other special message you’d like to leave our listeners with?
Anna: I think it’s imp- the last thing I wanna say is my job is to tell the story, but really, the credit has to go to the people who are in the clinics every day or in the communities making it, because, you know, my job is made significantly easier because of the work that they do, so I think that’s important to remember.
Roxann: Thank you, Anna.
Anna: Sure.
Post-Credits: Thank you for joining us today on Let’s Talk About Your Breasts. This podcast is produced by Speke Podcasting and brought to you by The Rose. Visit therose.org to learn more about our organization. Subscribe to our podcast, share episodes with friends, and join the conversation on social media using #Let’sTalkAboutYourBreasts. We welcome your feedback and suggestions. Consider supporting The Rose. Your gift can make the difference to a person in [00:22:00] need. And remember, self-care is not selfish, it’s essential.
