The Rose Receives $1 Million CPRIT Grant;

The Rose received a $1 million award from The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) for its Empower Her to Care Program. The donation will fund cancer screening services to approximately 3,000 medically underserved women. A significant focus of this award is addressing “no show” problems.

“Every time a woman makes an appointment and then doesn’t keep it, we lose three times,” Dorothy Weston Gibbons, co-founder and chief executive officer, explains. “We lose her, we lose the chance for another woman to have that appointment and, most importantly, we lose the chance to detect cancer in either of them.”

Gibbons said the goal is to:

• Increase mammography screening rates 
• Increase first-time mammography screening of both African-American and Hispanic women
• Decrease no-show rates, and
• Ensure that all patients receive information about cervical cancer screening

“Our Empower Her to Care Project involves providing ‘care’ for more women by increasing capacity, maximizing resources and finding new, innovative ways to encourage screening that truly empower each woman to take ‘care’ of her health,” Gibbons said.

The Rose is one of many Houston-based nonprofit organizations to receive CPRIT grants this year. Others include but are not limited to HOPE Clinic, University of Houston and University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

“If we can figure out the reasons why women are not coming in, then we can better address the obstacles,” said Gibbons. “We are deeply grateful to CPRIT for this extraordinary opportunity to make a difference in our community.”

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas was established in 2007 when Texas voters approved a constitutional amendment authorizing the state to issue $3 billion in bonds to fund cancer research and prevention programs and services.

The donation is the largest ever received by The Rose and will be funded over a two-year period.

The Rose is the Houston area's leading 501(c)(3) non-profit breast cancer organization providing mammography screening, diagnosis, access to treatment and support to all women regardless of their ability to pay. For an appointment, call 281-484-4708 or 866-680-4708. Insured or not insured, you are welcome at The Rose. Call us today.

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.

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.

Randalls Reach Stretches from Rosenberg to The Woodlands

Houston-area Randalls locations raised $225,000 to benefit The Rose’s Mobile Mammography Program. The Mobile Mammography Program serves both insured and uninsured women. The unit travels throughout Harris and surrounding counties and may be booked by corporations, organizations, churches and clinics. The goal of mobile mammography is to eliminate some of the obstacles that women face.

Our generous funders and collaborating partners made it possible for us to take mammography into neighborhoods and office buildings to help eliminate some of the barriers, like transportation and time off work.

Last year, 3,714 women were served by The Rose’s Mobile Mammography Program. Of that number, 2,744 women were uninsured and 6 were diagnosed with breast cancer. The van went to 98 sites for a total of 241 visits in Harris and 5 surrounding counties.

Women 35 and older who are not experiencing any breast symptoms or problems can be screened through the Mobile Mammography Program. Those who are under 35, have been diagnosed with breast cancer within the prior two years, are pregnant or nursing, have implants or are experiencing symptoms cannot be screened on the mobile unit and need to schedule their imaging at one of The Rose’s facilities.

Randalls has been a long-time supporter of The Rose, donating nearly $637,000 since 1997.

(Left to Right): Leslie Nelson, Randalls Vice President of Finance; Dorothy Weston Gibbons, CEO and Co-founder of The Rose; and Tom Schwilke, President of Randalls