HOUSTON –A group of 20 organizations are counting on the appeal of “one stop shopping” to increase usage of preventive care services among the uninsured. And Harris County Healthcare Alliance (HCHA) is making sure they have the funds to do it.
Newly launched with $545,000.00 in funding from HCHA, the Community Care Collaborative Project includes safety-net clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers taking on such access-to-care barriers as transportation, language, culture, finances, and coordination of care between providers.
“We know that many of the uninsured population use the clinics and centers as the primary source for their health care and for years we have worked to provide breast cancer screenings through referrals. But we lacked the capacity to be on site as much as we knew was needed,” said Dorothy Gibbons, CEO and Co-Founder of The Rose, the nonprofit breast health organization dedicating a new mobile mammography van and highly trained staff to oversee the project.
“This gift ensures that we have a new fully-equipped van that we can schedule consistently, as well as the ‘common table’ where we can all examine best practices that will help women across the city and county make and keep those critical appointments for preventive care.”
According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 8 women have a lifetime risk of developing breast cancer. The key to surviving is early detection and timely access to treatment. ACS reports that the five-year survival rate for women diagnosed early (Stage I) is more than 98%. By Stage IV, the five-year survival rate declines to 20%. Additionally, costs of treatment increase with later stage diagnoses, sometimes as high as $250,000 per patient.
“When you look at the facts, The Rose and our partners serving the uninsured and underserved are literally saving lives with this project,” said Gibbons. “While that should be all the incentive we need, we are also very aware that with early detection we are saving money as well.”
ACS studies show that 46.8% of Texas women, 40 years and older, did not receive a screening mammogram in the last year, 33% have no healthcare coverage and 26.4% have no health home to access care.
“Barriers must come down,” said Gibbons. She adds that she is excited and grateful for the participating CCCP organizations who will offer program outreach and education, mobile site locations, coordinated patient care, staff training, supplemental support services and permanent health homes for their constituents, the majority of whom are uninsured.
Medical facilities involved in the initial phase of the CCCP cover areas including Clear Lake, Sharpstown, Spring Branch, the Heights, Montrose, East End, the Third Ward, Katy, neighborhoods surrounding Hobby Airport, Tomball and Midtown. While most will be providing patient-center case management, at least two groups – One Voice Texas and the Breast Health Collaborative of Texas – will be providing critically needed education and awareness.
“We have a tested intervention program to reduce no-show rates among women with scheduled appointments,” said Lyn Widlaski, Executive Director of the Breast Health Collaborative. “When we used culturally appropriate counseling to address the fears of a target population we saw a 25% increase in the number of women who kept their appointment. That’s the kind of ‘best practice’ that we want to share and duplicate throughout the CCCP.”
“All the FQHCs and community clinics in this project have demonstrated the ability to offer comprehensive primary care services to medically underserved populations and have the capacity to include mammography as a specialty service,” said Lisa Mayes, Executive Director of Harris County Healthcare Alliance, the primary funder of the project. “When we considered that The Rose already serves more than 4,600 women in need of sponsored screenings through their existing mobile units, and of those 12 were diagnosed with breast cancer, then we knew expanding the mobile outreach was a must. We look forward to seeing what the expansion and collaboration will bring.”
CCCP participating organizations include: Breast Health Collaborative of Texas Central Care Community Center- MLK, Christ Clinic, Denver Harbor Clinic, El Centro de Corazon, Houston Area Community Services, Gateway To Care, Good Neighbor Healthcare Center, HOPE Clinic, Ibn Sina Community Clinics, Legacy Community Health Services, One Voice Texas, Planned Parenthood, San Jose Clinic, Shalom Health Ministries, Spring Branch Community Health Center, St. Vincent’s House, TOMAGWA HealthCare, and The Methodist Breast Clinic at Denver Harbor.
