this is your gift - Methodist Health System

this is your victory
You’re helping Methodist win the fight against breast cancer
Every year, the outlook gets brighter for women with
breast cancer — largely because you’re helping
them afford and have access to lifesaving breast
screenings. The earlier breast cancer is found, the
easier it is to treat.
Hope for Dallas women
For 18 women last year, that diagnosis allowed
them to get connected to the treatment they
needed sooner rather than later.
2011 Crossroads Annual Report
18
One of Methodist Health System’s strongest teammates
in the fight against cancer is Susan G. Komen
for the Cure. In the past 11 years, Komen has given
Methodist almost $2 million — $326,000 this year
alone — to help provide diagnostic services for
women in Dallas County who are uninsured or
unable to afford them. By year’s end, approximately
1,000 women will have benefited from free screenings
at Methodist Dallas and Methodist Charlton
Medical Centers as well as on Methodist’s mobile
mammography unit.
“We aim to provide someone with financial need
with comprehensive breast care, and that’s what the
Komen gift helps us to do,” says Charla Gauthier, BS,
MPH, CCRP, supervisor of the Cancer Program at
Methodist Dallas. “Our goal is to eliminate all kinds
of barriers. If they say, ‘I can’t afford it,’ we say, ‘We’ll
pay for it.’ If they say, ‘I have no ride,’ we say, ‘We’ll
send someone to pick you up.’ If they say, ‘I only
speak Spanish,’ we say, ‘We’ll get someone who
speaks your language to help.’ Our goal is to get
them to a final diagnosis.”
“Just in the last couple of years, we’ve seen the
percentages of women getting their breast cancer
screenings increase,” says Jennifer Legere, executive
director of Komen’s Dallas County affiliate. “We know
that the investment we’re making in Methodist is truly
making an impact in the community, because they
are reaching out to the women who are underserved,
uninsured, or underinsured and getting them lifesaving
mammograms.
“Methodist helps women have the hope that where
they live shouldn’t be the deciding factor of whether
they should live or die.”
Joining the fight
In addition to Komen, other community organizations
have helped support Methodist’s efforts to
beat breast cancer:
Methodist Hospitals of Dallas Guild — When
Methodist decided to purchase a new mobile
mammography unit, the Guild pledged $110,000
to purchase new diagnostic equipment for the van,
helping with its much-needed upgrade.
Jennifer Legere, executive director of the Dallas County affiliate of Susan G.
Komen for the Cure (left), presents Charla Gauthier, supervisor of Methodist
Dallas’ Cancer Program, with another supportive grant to help ensure that
underserved women get their annual mammograms.