Every two minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States.
It is one of the most common cancers in women. Men are not immune, as one in a 1,000 is diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime.
Survival directly corresponds to early detection so access to diagnostic testing and treatment is crucial. Those lacking adequate health insurance or health care resources face an added challenge in detecting and, ultimately, fighting cancer. According to Dignity Health, more than 12.5 percent of Clark County residents do not have health care coverage, exceeding the 9.4 percent national average.
The Engelstad Foundation RED (Responsible Early Detection) Rose Program, Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican fills in the gap and provides breast health services to the growing number of underinsured, uninsured and undocumented in Southern Nevada.
The program supplies access to diagnostic services such as screenings, clinical breast exams, mammograms, ultrasounds, surgical consultations and biopsies. It also supplies financial assistance to cover some expenses including utilities, food or transportation when undergoing non-surgical treatments.
“Dignity Health stands to be the leading organization in the community connecting people to breast health services,” Dignity Health community health manager Mark Domingo said. “The stories you hear from the women fuels our passion; it’s why we do what we do.”
In 2018, the life-saving program received a $10 million donation from the Engelstad Foundation, presented by CEO Kris Engelstad McGarry. The donation is a record gift in St. Rose Dominican Health Foundation’s history.
“It’s a transformational gift,” Dignity Health Southwest Division Vice President of Philanthropy Charles Guida said. “Their ability and willingness to partner with us made a dramatic impact on the community and the health care that we provide to people throughout our community.”
The generous gift inspired the rededication of the program’s name as the Engelstad Foundation RED Rose Program.
Engelstad McGarry, herself a breast cancer survivor, experienced the impact of cancer and how insurance played a role in receiving treatment. Her personal battle inspired the life-giving gift.
“The program struck a chord with me,” Engelstad McGarry said. “It shouldn’t matter what your socioeconomic status is. We all need the same treatment.
“I was in a different position and could go where I needed to go and not worry about losing my job,” she added. “It resonated with me the differences between when I got sick and somebody else and how unfair that is.”
The endowment allowed the program to expand its services, increase staff to accommodate the growing number of applicants and target underserved populations in the region. Myriam Muriel is one of the thousands of uninsured women who benefited from the program.
Muriel is undergoing treatment for stage three breast cancer through services provided by the program. Diagnosed last year, she underwent surgery in July covered by Dignity’Charity Care, a program working in tandem with RED Rose in which surgical costs are donated by Dignity Health and local surgeons.
“It’s been like a miracle come true,” Muriel said. “They helped me with my surgery, and I didn’t have to pay a dime. If they couldn’t help, I don’t know what would have happened to me.”
Muriel hopes her story inspires others in a similar financial situation to seek out the program.
Since its 2002 inception, the program has served over 7,000 patients without adequate health care resources or the financial means to obtain health insurance. The program received over 700 calls during July and August, which equates to 10 times the number received last year in the same time frame.
“We have seen a huge influx of people interested in our program,” Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican’s external communications manager Gordon M. Absher said. “And this gift opened so many doors for us.”
The inspiration for the program was Sister Monica, an Adrian Dominican sister from Las Vegas. She founded the RED Rose program while serving as vice president for mission at St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Henderson.
“Sister Monica was passionate about helping the uninsured, especially women who were falling through the cracks,” Dignity Health community health director Holly Lyman said in an email. “She started by giving mammograms for free to women who had no means to pay. The RED Rose program grew from there.”
Members of the editorial and news staff of the Las Vegas Review-Journal were not involved in the creation of this content.