Caring for the Uninsured
COBTH Home ---------------- Introduction ---------------- Resouces ---------------- Public Health Champion ---------------- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center ---------------- Boston Medical Center ---------------- Brigham and Women's Hospital ---------------- Cambridge Health Alliance ---------------- Caritas Carney Hospital ---------------- Caritas Saint Elizabeth's Medical Center ---------------- Children's Hospital Boston ---------------- Dana-Farber Cancer-Institute ---------------- Faulkner Hospital ---------------- Lahey Clinic Medical Center ---------------- Massachusetts General Hospital ---------------- Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary ---------------- Tufts Medical Center ---------------- VA Boston Healthcare System ---------------- COBTH Community Benefits Committee ---------------- COBTH Hospital Cancer Rides ---------------- COBTH Domestic Violence Council		“Like most women, I never thought I’d get cancer,” states Mary of West Roxbury. She also never thought she’d be without health insurance. But, during a short period between jobs, she was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer. Both the diagnosis and the anticipated cost of treatment were devastating. Thanks to the Breast Health Care Access Program at Faulkner Hospital, Mary and hundreds of other women like her have been relieved of the worries about how they will pay for their breast cancer treatment. “Dr. Elsie Levin and her staff, and Dr. Peggy Duggan who performed my surgery, were wonderful. kept asking what would happen since had no insurance. I was told not to worry, that my health came first,” says Mary. Since 1993, uninsured and underinsured women over 40 can receive a free annual screening mammogram through the Breast Health Care Access Program at Faulkner Hospital. If there is a positive finding, the program also pays for any further treatment and services the patient may require, including biopsies, surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Additionally, through a partnership with the West Roxbury/Roslindale YMCA, the hospital offers the “Pink Program” to all breast cancer survivors. This survivor fitness program addresses the issues of weight gain, flexibility, and range of motion after surgery and breast cancer. It also acts as an informal active support group for survivors. Since its inception the Breast Health Care Access Program has served thousands of patients.