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Another Successful Year

Fiscal year 2011 was a great success for LBCHP. We provided breast and cervical cancer early detection services to over 13,400 women in Louisiana. Our services resulted in the detection of 129 breast cancers. Click here for report.

LBCHP's accomplishments would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our providers. We extend many thanks to our providers for their continued efforts in providing high quality and timely screening and diagnostic services to underserved Louisianan women.

Our providers are EA Conway Medical Center, Earl K Long Medical Center, Lallie Kemp Regional Medical Center, Leonard J Chabert Medical Center, Louisiana Oncology Associates, Interim LSU Public Hospital, LSUHSC Shreveport, St Thomas Community Health Center, University Medical Center, Woman's Hospital, and YWCA of Greater Baton Rouge ENCOREplus.

“United Way and You” radio show on WBOK

The Importance of Women Getting Annual Mammograms

During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, on Oct. 18, 2011, Dr. Denise Johnson, clinical director of the Breast Center at the Interim LSU Public Hospital and Renee’ Jenkins, the in-reach patient navigator for the Louisiana Breast and Cervical Health Program were guest speakers on the “United Way and You” radio show on WBOK.

 

 

Hosted by Mary Ambrose, senior vice president of United Way Community Impact, the three discussed the importance of women getting annual mammograms, with Dr. Johnson and Jenkins providing mammography locations and telephone numbers; Jenkins showcasing the patient navigation program and its purpose; and Dr. Johnson taking callers’ questions on breast cancer and breast health in general.

LBCHP Helps Keep Mammography Moving

Mobile coach reaches women in 18 Baton Rouge-area parishes

In a state which has the second highest rate of breast cancer and the second highest mortality rate in the country, four wheels and a dedicated group of medical professionals are saving lives and money. The Woman’s Hospital Mobile Mammography Coach, which is staffed by two mammography technologists, a receptionist and a driver, travels to parishes in and around Baton Rouge to help underserved women obtain their regularly recommended mammograms.

 

Reaching approximately 5300 patients and finding 25 to 30 cases of breast cancer annually that may have otherwise gone undiagnosed, the mobile coach plays a key role in the Louisiana Breast and Cervical Health Program’s (LBCHP) mission to both keep women from dying of the disease, as well as save money in treatment costs by detecting the cancer early.

 

Funded by LBCHP, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Dow Chemical, Mary Bird Perkins Care Network, Foundation 56, Earl K. Long Medical Center, and ENCOREplus® (a breast and cervical cancer program offered by the YWCA), Woman’s Hospital Mobile Mammography Coach Program is the culmination of a unique partnership effort that is boasting success on several different fronts.

 

“Prior to our collaborative efforts in 2003, about 50 percent of the cancer we found were in Stage 4 or late stage,” said Cynthia Rabalais, Woman’s Hospital director of imaging services, referring to the time before LBCHP, Woman’s Hospital and others partnered.“But once we got the coach on the road, many of the cancers found are in Stage 1 and that means a 95 percent survival rate.”

 

 

The partnership also means that once a diagnosis is made, patients do not fall through the cracks. “We have a unique situation. I don’t think many states have been able to collaborate as we have. With so many of us watching out for the patients, a patient isn’t going to get away from us,” said Rabalais. “If we find something, and depending on the woman’s situation, we can look at helping her through LBCHP, Komen, Mary Bird Perkins Care Network, Foundation 56 or Woman’s.

 

If the diagnosis of cancer is made, we help a woman qualify for Medicaid, help her find a doctor and or navigate to Earl K. Long (Medical Center). We don’t just make a diagnosis, send a woman out in the community and tell her ‘Good luck!’.”

 

With funding from LBCHP, the Woman’s Hospital Mobile Mammography Coach Program expanded its efforts. The program started in 1995, after a study indicated women were not accessing and utilizing screening mammography as they should, and that the number of women receiving screening mammography was significantly lower in outlying areas such as Ascension, Iberville, Livingston and West Baton Rouge Parishes.

 

The mobile coach program set out to not only reach uninsured and underinsured women, but those in rural areas who simply did not have access to mammogram providers. “We travel in 18 parishes at least twice annually, including places such as Tangipahoa, St. John and St. Mary,” said Rabalais. “About 60 percent of the women we see need funding assistance and about 40 percent come for the convenience.

 

We serve a number of small, rural communities who do don’t have enough women to support a full-time mammogram provider, so they have learned when the coach will be there. I feel blessed to work with an organization that bridges the gap between the underinsured and the women who can pay for services.” To that end, the Woman’s Hospital Mobile Mammography Coach program serves entities as diverse as Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Dow Chemical, Harrah’s Casino and the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women. Rabalais believes that the mobile coach’s presence and convenience helps in detecting cancer earlier, which is better for everyone. And that’s why she feels continued funding of LBCHP is critical.

 

“It takes all of our partners to make sure we can start the engine on the coach,” said Rabalais. “It’s a cost-effective program that works. With less money, we’ll be forced to serve fewer women and then it becomes a case of finding cancers at a later stage, which costs more money to treat.”

 

To schedule an appointment and find out when the mobile coach will be in your area, call the Woman's Hospital Breast Center at 225-924-8391 today. For more information, go to www.womans.org. The Woman's Hospital main campus is located at 9050 Airline Highway in Baton Rouge.

 

 

The Work of Many

It is impossible to name all the people and organizations that assisted in rebuilding LBCHP in New Orleans. In addition to the partners mentioned above, LBCHP gives special thanks to the LSUHSC School of Public Health, American Cancer Society, Avon Foundation, American Breast Cancer Foundation, Dr. Susan Jeanfreau, United Way of Greater New Orleans, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Susan G. Komen for the Cure's New Orleans affiliate, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Johnson & Johnson Foundation, and National Breast Cancer Foundation.

New Orleans Recovery Milestone

Permanent LSUHSC Breast Center Opens

The Interim LSU Hospital has relocated the Breast Center to newly renovated space on the 4th floor of 2025 Gravier St (across the street from the University Hospital emergency room in the Seton Building). The new accommodations are larger and offer more private space for patients.

LBCHP's Denise Roubion-Johnson, DrNP, and Tyler Bartley, CNS, and Zina Daniel (Assistant) continue to staff the Breast Center. They closely collaborate with LSUHSC staff to ensure that all women receive appropriate, high quality and timely services. Additionally, they help every woman get the support she needs to complete all necessary early detection tests and procedures.

Women over 40 year of age who are patients of Interim LSU Hospital are encouraged to stop by the Breast Center to get their annual mammogram. There will be no extra charge for this service and no appointment is needed. Walk-in mammography services are available Monday - Friday from 7:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Women experiencing breast problems or needing further information may call 504.903.2452. Clinical referrals to the Breast Center may be faxed to 504.903.2449.