"They just get it, you know? They just get it."
 
Kim Akel, director of program services at CanCare, a nonprofit agency that provides cancer support for patients and families – and a woman who is active in the Breast Health Collaborative of Texas – "gets it" too.

That's why, when it was time for her first mammogram last year, Akel chose to go to The Rose.

She believes in The Rose’s mission of reducing deaths from breast cancer by providing screening, diagnostics and access to treatment for all women regardless of their ability to pay.

And she loves the idea of paying it forward.

"Whenever I get a mammogram with my insurance," said Akel, 31, "someone else will get a free mammogram."

Even though Akel was only 30 when she had her first mammogram, she knew she was in good hands at the center's Young Women's Clinic.
"It was important for me to get my baseline at a young age so I could track any changes in my breast on an annual basis," said Akel, whose mother was diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer at the age of 42. "I would rather be overly cautious than be too late, and have teenagers who have to grow up without a mom. No way."

Akel was 19 when her mother died at age 56.

[Note to readers: In the picture that accompanies this article,  Kim Akel holds a photo of her mother, brother and sister, taken shortly before their mom died.]

When breast cancer is caught early, the survival rate is 98 percent.
That's why it's important to get women in the door for mammograms in the first place.
As Akel learned, there is something you can do.
"I have a lot of friends who work fulltime jobs but are either uninsured or under-insured," she said. "Knowing I'm helping them – that's meaningful to me."

The Rose CEO and co-founder Dorothy Gibbons said insured women end up contributing approximately 55 percent towards the cost of a mammogram for an uninsured woman.

The remaining 45 percent, approximately $500,000 a year, comes from fundraisers, grants and individual donations.

"Mammography is a very expensive procedure," Gibbons said. "It comes with more regulations than open-heart surgery."

Mammography is governed by the Mammography Quality Standards Act, enacted by congress in 1992.

The true cost of a mammogram is approximately $140, but that amount seems prohibitive, Gibbons said. So for any woman who can afford to pay cash, the cost is $85.

Memorial resident Vanessa Sendukas said she is self-insured and can go wherever she wants for her mammograms, but she chooses to go to The Rose and pay the cash price of $85.

"I asked my gynecologist if I could do it at The Rose and he said it was only for women who did not have insurance," said Sendukas, 52. "He was wrong. Women who have insurance or can pay cash help cover the cost for someone else, which to me was a plus."

Without women like Akel and Sendukas, The Rose could not even consider taking care of the nearly 8,000 uninsured women they saw last year, a number that increased 30 percent in 2009 and 30 percent the year before.

"It's phenomenal, the number of women who have turned to us," Gibbons said. "Women who six months ago had insurance and suddenly find themselves without it."

Despite the country’s economic distress, The Rose –recognizing a growing need for services – successfully launched a $3.2 million fundraising campaign and opened a new 8,000-square foot mammography center last February.

The Rose Galleria is located at 5420 West Loop South, Suite 3300 in Bellaire.

The Rose Southeast is located at 12700 N. Featherwood, Suite 260 in Houston.

"The whole facility is centered on women and their needs," Sendukas said. "It’s not just another part of a hospital. It's private, personal, warm…even in the waiting room, and where they have you change clothes. Totally different than any mammogram I have ever had before. Night and day different."

That's because The Rose gets it.

"Our mission is making sure women have access to care, whether it's through insurance, cash discount or sponsorship, " Gibbons said. "When you come into the reception area, you don't know if the woman beside you is uninsured or not. We believe in dignity and respect."

About The Rose:
The Rose Southeast, 12700 N. Featherwood, suite 260, Houston, 77034
The Rose Galleria, 5420 West Loop South, suite 3300, Bellaire, 77401

For more information or to make an appointment call 866-680-4708 and visit The Rose website, www.therose.org.

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