Texas City AMOCO Federal Credit Union will host The Rose Mobile Mammography Program on October 10, from 9:00 am until 3:30 pm at its headquarters at 2300 Texas Avenue. "We are proud to sponsor this event and hope that women will use this opportunity to be screened. To help women feel at ease, we are transforming our office to create a very private and comfortable experience for all the women; as well as giving each of them a VIP treatment." said Tina Foster, VP of Culture and Communications.
Women 35 and older who are not experiencing any breast symptoms or problems can be screened by Mobile Mammography. Both insured and uninsured women need to have a referral from their primary care physician before making their appointment. Please contact kmodlin@therose.org to schedule appointments.
The Rose broke the barrier of cost when it was founded in 1986. Now, with the help of like-minded funders, they are battling the second deterrent keeping almost 30% of eligible Texas women from life-saving mammograms convenience.
"Mammography is an essential Community Health Service, a screening that every woman over the age of 40 should have every year. Studies clearly show the impact of mammography screening on reducing the number of women who die from breast cancer. Yet for the hard working poor in our communities, being able to have this important preventive screening is difficult, if not impossible.� Even when women have insurance, taking time off from work becomes a barrier," said Dorothy Gibbons, CEO and Co-Founder of The Rose.
Gibbons founded The Rose along with Dr. Dixie Melillo in 1986 because as colleagues in health care they were seeing too many women die from the disease. Cost, concern over time away from caring for others and/or work, and a lack of accessible screening options were the most frequent reasons for delaying preventive care.
"Thanks to incredible community support and our model whereby three insured women help cover the costs of one uninsured, we are able to make mammograms available to all. But ensuring that women could take time away from family demands, work, or could travel the distance to one of our facilities when they lived several counties away & that was a different dilemma. Mobile was our answer. The Rose Mobile Mammography is a good investment for a healthy community."
The Rose provides access to quality breast health care to women in the Houston area and 35 counties -- regardless of their ability to pay. Screenings and diagnostic care by breast health specialists and a trained and compassionate staff have been offered to nearly 500,000 women since 1986 when Co-Founders Dorothy Gibbons and Dr. Dixie Melillo first started the nonprofit. With two centers and a mobile fleet, The Rose overcomes barriers of cost and convenience helping to ensure that preventive care is accessible to all.
