Your Mammogram is a Gift to Another

A note from our CEO, Dorothy Weston Gibbons...
In these economic times, when we all must watch our budgets and expenses, there is one gift that you can give…it doesn’t cost anything…you were going to do it anyway…it’s having your annual mammogram at The Rose. Yes, it’s true…every “paid” mammogram helps us care for a woman who doesn’t have insurance… or money to cover even our low $85 cash discounted fee.

Having a mammogram with us ensures you’ll receive the personal attention that The Rose is famous for and the highest quality imaging, read by physicians who are dedicated only to breast imaging and breast disease. All this and you are helping other women receive that same level of care – women who have no where else to turn.

And if these economic times have left you without insurance or cash, please do not post-pone your annual mammogram. All the research shows that we have our best chance of finding a cancer in its earliest stage when women return between 12 and 14 months. Even a few more months can make a difference, in some cases a tragic difference and that is something you do not need to chance. You have The Rose to turn to.

We have all faced financial difficulties at one point or another. We know that asking for help is difficult especially if you’ve never had to before. But that is why The Rose exists—to provide access to care for every women regardless of ability to pay.
Any woman who has ever discovered a lump in her breast knows the fear that accompanies it. Noone needs any barriers to stand in the way of having the tests needed for a diagnosis—insured or uninsured.

Some women will qualify for full sponsorship, others take advantage or our payment plan. Whatever it takes, we’ll get you through our services...that’s our promise to you.

Bikers Against Breast Cancer

On May 16, motorcycle riders will come together to help raise awareness of breast cancer in our community. Bikers Against Breast Cancer, benefitting The Rose, will start and end at San Jacinto Harley Davidson, 3636 E. Sam Houston Parkway S, Pasadena, TX 77505, with the party continuing at Hooters -Pasadena afterward.

Please click here for more information about the event. On-line registration is available now!

Pink Ribbons Project Brings Digital Dreams Campaign to an Exciting Close

In the midst of the current an economic crisis, we were issued another challenge...the challenge to convert from analog to digital mammography, bringing our technology to the finest ever.

In 2008, the Mabee Foundation extended us a challenge grant of $250,000, provided that we find a single donor to match their total gift and complete the entire $2.3 million campaign before the April 2009 deadline. Val-Asche Foundation quickly came through and matched their gift of $250,000. However, we still had the challenge of completeing the campaign.

Several organizations pitched in bringing us very close to the goal. With one week remaining, we still had $72,219 left to raise. Pink Ribbons Project stepped up to the plate and completed the campaign with only 3 days remaining before the deadline.

“We’re most excited that this was such a collaborative effort; so many organizations were involved,” said Susan Raft, Executive Director of Pink Ribbons Project. “We were happy to be able to put the cherry on top and make everyone’s money work for the community,” she added.

Switching to digital mammography will help us increase capacity, lower archiving cost and ensure that our patients get their results quickly. After the transition, we will be able to serve many more women.

The Sterling-Turner Foundation also came through with $70,000 to aid in the conversion of our mobile mammography units. This will allow us to further extend our reach throughout Texas.

On behalf of over 25,000 women who walk through our doors annually, we so appreciate all of the organizations and individuals who contributed toward our Digital Dreams Campaign. You make a difference!

Komen Houston Affiliate Save Lives

Houston Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure impacts the lives of Houston area women in countless ways. This year, they have again proven to be The Rose’s largest grantor, pledging a generous $716,179 to help us fulfill our mission of reducing deaths from breast cancer. Monies from the grant will cover a significant portion of the services provided to uninsured women through the Empower Her® Sponsorship Program including mammograms, ultrasounds, biopsies and access to treatment; as well as support the Treatment Fund. This grant will help provide medical services to over 5,000 uninsured women.

“There aren’t enough ways to say thank you to the wonderful folks at Komen Houston Affiliate and also to all the thousands of people who participated in the Race for the Cure®, which makes this incredible gift possible.” said Dorothy Gibbons.

The Greater Houston area has the highest uninsured rate of any area in the nation, nearly one in 3 people are without medical coverage, and few programs available for the working poor who make up over half of the uninsured population. The Rose has become the diagnostic resource for breast health services in area providing direct services to the uninsured and working with nearly 200 agencies throughout the area who serve the uninsured.

The Rose, with the support of Komen Houston Affiliate, provides a full spectrum of breast healthcare for a diverse group of women in Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty and Montgomery counties who are uninsured or unable to pay. Komen Houston Affiliate has been the primary underwriter for our sponsorship program since 1991, helping us to reach and serve thousands of women every year.

Thank You Komen Houston! We could not do it without you!

Friends, employees and supporters of The Rose gather at the Komen Race for the Cure to express our gratitude toward the Houston Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®.

The Hyphen Lives No More!

In the past, The Rose could be found on-line at www.The-Rose.org. Lots of people expressed that the hyphen made it hard to find us on the web. Thanks to Karen Black, The Rose now has a new home on the World Wide Web. Our website can now be found at www.TheRose.org.

Ms. Black, a cancer survivor herself, gave up the domain she had long dreamed to use for her own umbrella non-profit organization. “TheRose.org suits me well but your clients/patients will immediately benefit from the increased access to your site and services, “ she said.

Ms. Black has extensive family history of breast cancer and decided that the domain name meant more to our patients than to herself. "My mother had breast cancer twice (two separate mastectomies) and my grandmother and aunts died of it. It is hard to find a person who has not been touched personally by this horrible disease,” she said.

We cannot express how deeply we appreciate this gift from Ms. Black. This will surely increase awareness and access to our little place in cyberspace. Please look for major changes coming soon to The Rose.org.

Thank You Avon!

The Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund awarded The Rose a $70,000 one-year grant to the Empower Her® Sponsorship Program to increase awareness of the life-saving benefits of early detection of breast cancer. This is the sixth year that the program has received Avon Foundation funding to support its work on this important health issue, and in recognition of the excellence of the program.

“We are so pleased that the Avon Foundation shares our mission and has chosen to support our program. With these funds we will be able to serve hundreds of women—for some our services will mean saving their lives,” says Dorothy Weston Gibbons.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in the U.S., and the leading single cause of death overall in women between the ages of 20 and 55. While advances have been made in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure, early detection still affords the best opportunity for successful treatment. Nationwide, there is a new diagnosis every three minutes and a death from breast cancer every fourteen minutes. In the Houston area, one woman dies from breast cancer every day. At the 2009 Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, over 1,000 participants raised more than $1.8 Million for breast cancer research and support. Pictured above: Members of Team Raquel formed in honor of Rose Garden Support Group member Raquel L.