FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Audrey Ann Ross 215-985-2619 audrey.ross@accessmatters.org
PA Commission for Women and PA Department of Health Honor HealthyWoman Staff & Providers at Governor’s Residence
Statewide breast and cervical cancer early detection program serves underinsured and uninsured people in the Commonwealth
AccessMatters’ staff members Elizabeth Dailey, MSW, Senior Program Manager, Mature Women’s Services and Andrea McCord, MPH, Program Coordinator, Mature Women’s Services were honored by the Pennsylvania Commission for Women and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Pictured From Left to Right: Dr. Loren Robinson, Deputy Secretary of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at the Pennsylvania Department of Health; Melissa Weiler Gerber, President & CEO of AccessMatters; Elizabeth Dailey, MSW, Senior Program Manager, Mature Women’s Services at AccessMAtters; Andrea McCord, MPH, Program Coordinator, Mature Women’s Services; and LaToya Myers, Vice President for Health Access and Service Delivery at AccessMatters.
[PHILADELPHIA, PA – October 18, 2018]: Earlier today, the Pennsylvania Commission for Women and the Pennsylvania Department of Health honored dedicated staff and healthcare providers from Pennsylvania’s HealthyWoman program at a breakfast reception at the Governor’s residence. The HealthyWoman Program, Pennsylvania’s statewide breast and cervical cancer early detection program, provides free breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services to low and moderate income, uninsured and underinsured Pennsylvania residents. “I couldn’t be more proud of the hard work and focused efforts of our dedicated program staff and all of our HealthyWoman partners in Southeastern Pennsylvania who work tirelessly to ensure people have access to life-saving early detection services,” said Melissa Weiler Gerber, President & CEO of AccessMatters. “We are grateful for this recognition and remain committed to overseeing this critically important work in our region.” The breakfast reception, held during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, honored HealthyWoman Program staff from the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the four organizations that oversee regional implementation. The organizations include AccessMatters, Adagio Health, the Family Health Council of Central Pennsylvania, and Maternal Family Health Services. Select healthcare partners from across the Commonwealth were also recognized for having high enrollment numbers overall or significant increases in enrollment. In Southeastern Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and Drexel University College of Medicine were both honored for their work with the HealthyWoman Program. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health was honored for being the highest enrolling partner in Southeastern Pennsylvania during fiscal year 2018, and continues to be the highest enrolling HealthyWoman partner across the Commonwealth. Its’ network of health centers serves as an essential safety net for Philadelphians, and provided breast and cervical cancer early detection services through the HealthyWoman Program to more than 2,400 patients in fiscal year 2018. Drexel University College of Medicine was honored for achieving the greatest percent increase in HealthyWoman patient enrollment between fiscal years 2017 and 2018. During that period, they increased patient enrollment nearly tenfold ensuring more people have access to HealthyWoman services. After the Affordable Care Act became law, early detection programs across the United States were experiencing declines in patient enrollment as more and more patients became insured. In recent years, Pennsylvania’s HealthyWoman Program has worked to engage those who remain uninsured or who have gaps in insurance coverage in services to diagnose breast or cervical cancer. As these populations have become more engaged, enrollment in the HealthyWoman Program has increased. In Southeastern Pennsylvania, HealthyWoman enrollment increased nearly 30% from fiscal year 2017 to 2018. Nearly 5,000 patients in Southeastern Pennsylvania received services through the program in fiscal year 2018. AcccessMatters works as a part of the Alliance of Pennsylvania Councils to administer the program in the five-county Southeastern Pennsylvania region through 21 healthcare partners at nearly 40 sites. The program is a part of the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program and is supported by funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Other partners in the Alliance are Adagio Health, which administers the program in Western Pennsylvania and oversees statewide administration of the program, Family Health Council of Central Pennsylvania, which oversees the program in Central Pennsylvania, and Maternal Family Health Services, which administers the program in Northeastern Pennsylvania. “Our region’s work is decidedly a team effort, and so many of our valued healthcare partners have achieved noteworthy implementation benchmarks in recent years,” said Weiler Gerber. “I am so appreciative that our staff and healthcare partners continually look for new ways to mitigate barriers to care and ensure that active patient support is integrated into all aspects of service delivery.”
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The HealthyWoman Program provides free breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services to low and moderate income, uninsured and underinsured Pennsylvania residents. Services include: mammograms, Pap tests, HPV tests, and follow-up diagnostic procedures including breast MRI, breast ultrasound, breast biopsy, colposcopy, and LEEP. The services are delivered through a network of participating healthcare partners that includes hospitals, community-based health centers, and local health departments. More information can be found at: https://www.accessmatters.org/healthywoman-program/ AccessMatters is the catalyst for providing access to sexual and reproductive health care for teens and adults in need reaching over 150,000 individuals annually. For more information about AccessMatters programs, visit www.AccessMatters.org, @AccessMatters4U on Twitter, and @AccessMatters on Facebook.