Watching busses roll out of the Alief ISD Transportation Center on Synott Road is impressive. Hearing that 12,000 youth from 5 high schools will be loaded on those vehicles in 8 minutes is almost awe-inspiring. But what’s going on inside on a fairly regular basis inside that transportation hub is equally noteworthy. Within those walls, Alief ISD isn’t just saving time, they are saving lives.
Four times a year – and more whenever possible – The Rose is doing a record number of mammograms for employees of the school system. Recently, four days of appointments were filled the very afternoon the openings were announced.
Those appointments are possible because The Rose’s Mobile Mammography Program takes screenings to conveniently located Alief ISD locations where the equipment is set up in a 10 x 10 ft. (or larger) room. Two staff members from the Mobile Team can serve at least 20 women in a day.
Kelley Sullivan, the Alief AISD Wellness Coordinator and the organizer of the mobile days for Alief teachers, staff and administrators, shrugs off praise for her efforts noting, “I just put the notice out there and they fill it. I’m very proud of the fact that Alief ISD makes health a priority.”
Creating the culture of wellness has been Sullivan’s responsibility for the last three years. After 30 years in the classroom and as a coach, she took on the new role and, as a result, decided it was time to “practice what I was preaching.” She lost 70 pounds and began running half marathons “for good causes.” Though pleased with her own progress, she resists any temptation towards nagging or guilt to get others to follow her lead.
“I’m simply focused on getting people to be as healthy as they can be,” she explained.
With breast health, that meant increasing the number of mobile days available for on-site screenings from the previous 3 days a year to 4 weeks or 20 days in a year. With most of those filling up almost immediately, that means 400 Alief ISD employees have the annual reminder that prevention matters.
Alief ISD’s wellness focus doesn’t stop with breast health. Other wellness efforts include promoting the Million Step Challenge, onsite flu shots, biometrics, Shape Up Houston Challenge, a bike rally and fun runs.
Approximately 6,000 employees are included in Alief ISD and almost all are insured through the school system. However, 800 are not. Fortunately, The Rose accepts both. With support from community partners, the goal of access to care for all is achievable.
“When I heard that 12,000 young people are daily transported via the vehicles at the Transportation Center, I knew it was just another indicator of what some might call coincidence but I know is confirmation,” said Dorothy Gibbons, CEO and Co-Founder of The Rose. “With our mobile fleet, we now have the capacity to care for 12,000 women in 35 counties. Alief ISD serves as a magnificent model of how other school districts, businesses, organizations, and clinics can promote wellness, overcome barriers related to cost and convenience, and provide critically needed access to care.”
The Rose welcomes others businesses and corporations to join the growing number of clients who feature the Mobile Mammography Unit during Employee Wellness programs and/or host a Mobile Mammography day at their workplace. Email [email protected] to learn more, about The Rose Mobile Mammography. To set up a site visit, please call 281.464.5136 or e-mail [email protected].
To see a day in the life of Alief ISD and The Rose, check out our photo album on Flickr.