Acres Homes, a neighborhood in Houston, Texas, is like many urban neighborhoods across the country: a mix of races and cultures, many living below the poverty level and off the radar for health care – especially regarding breast health.
Black women are more likely to die from breast cancer than any other racial group in the U.S. – often because of inequities in access to diagnosis and treatment. Lilly sponsored Black Health Matters and The Links organization in support of their "Join the Movement," mobile mammogram events in five U.S. cities this summer providing breast cancer screenings and hopefully saving more lives.
"Our whole goal and mission are to inform African Americans about how best to take care of their health. Because of Lilly, we can bring an event like this to the Houston community," explained Lynette Roach of Black Health Matters. "We've done this in several other cities: Newark, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and now, Houston. It means a lot to us to be able to connect directly with the community and to impact their lives in this positive way regarding breast health."
Black Health Matters and local organizations also handed out materials about breast health, how to do self-care exams, the importance of yearly exams, and knowledge of family genetic history regarding breast health.
"The importance of bringing the mammogram to Acres Homes means we're targeting those that don't have access to insurance, which are a lot of patients," said Dr. Stacy Jones Reed, a primary care physician in the Acres Home community.
When organizations join forces with the idea that we can and should help make life better for everyone, there's potential for significant change. This sponsorship is an example that highlights the impact of what is possible.
Watch these powerful stories of hope, resilience and dedication from Houston.
00:00-00:15
[Video opens on a white screen with a red Lilly logo and then shows Stacey sitting in a white coat talking to the camera. The words Acre Homes – Houston, TX appear on screen]
Stacey: I was actually born in Acres Homes. Reared here for most of my life.
Caption: Stacey Jones-Reed, MD, Acres Homes Family Health and Wellness Center, Houston, TX
Stacey: I stay because I know my patients need an advocate that understands their socio-economic status.
00:15-00:23
[Video shows a red brick building with the words Acres Homes Multi-Service Center Houston Health Department City of Houston, and then a metal gate with a sign that says FREE Mammogram Screenings. Video cuts to Linette sitting and speaking to the camera]
Caption: Linette Roach, Black Health Matters
Linette: Because of Lilly, we are able to educate Black Americans about how best to take care of their breast health.
00:23-00:36
[Video shows multiple angles of a large, bright blue and white mobile mammogram vehicle, and then cuts to Deshong sitting and talking to the camera]
Deshong: Black Health Matters brought a mobile mammogram unit here. You didn't have to have insurance.
Caption: Deshong Perry-Smitherman, Associate Director, Communications, Lilly
Deshong: You didn't have to have money. All you had to do was raise your hand to say, “I need a mammogram.”
00:36-00:44
[Video cuts to Stacey sitting and talking to the camera, and then shows visuals of the mammogram vehicle driving on a road, parking, and parked while a woman walks up the vehicle step and opens its door]
Stacey: The importance of bringing the mammogram to Acres Homes, helps address the actual need,
and that's access to healthcare.
00:44-00:54
[Video cuts to Stacey sitting and talking to the camera]
Stacey: African American women, when we do present with breast cancer, we're 41% more likely to die from it. And it's a more aggressive form.
00:54-01:06
[Video cuts to Jo sitting and talking to the camera, and then shows visuals of health workers in black clothes in front of the mobile mammogram vehicle and a health worker helping a woman in a medical gown with mammogram machinery]
Caption: Jo Annette Shields, Senior Program Director, Acres Homes Multi-Service Center
Jo: I went and had a mammogram. This is the first one I've had since COVID began, and they were very knowledgeable as to what they were doing. It was very easy.
01:06-01:21
[Video cuts to Linette sitting and speaking to the camera, and then shows visuals of workers talking to one another at a Black Health Matters booth and a close-up of a pink Black Health Matters stand-up poster with the words TAKING ON BREAST CANCER]
Linette: Today I had a couple of women tell me they hadn't had a mammogram in five years or 10 years, and that's why we'd like to partner with, Social Justice Solutions and For the Breast of Us, because they're also handing out materials about breast health.
01:21-01:35
[Video shows Black Health Matters workers with clipboards interacting at a conference booth, and then Cynthia sitting and talking to the camera, Video cuts to women working at a conference booth and sharing materials with booth visitors]
Caption: Cynthia Johnson, Breast Cancer Survivor, Ambassador – For the Breast of Us
Cynthia: For the Breast of Us is working to educate and ensure that women know their risk factors, that they're encouraged to get their mammograms. And that they know how to do their self breast exams and understand the signs and symptoms. Because the earlier you can get in and get checked, the better your outcomes are.
01:35-01:44
[Video cuts to Mia sitting and talking to the camera,]
Caption: Mia Williams, Breast Cancer Survivor
Mia: I grew up here. My church is right up the street. My mother still lives here. Everything about this community is me.
01:44-02:00
[Multiple photographs of Mia’s husband and Mia with a bald head and standing in front of a river appear on screen]
Mia: I was diagnosed at the age of 34, and I thought when I was done with my treatment: “Okay, I'm done. I'm good.” The problem that I ended up running into was when I lost my job. Losing my health insurance. My husband was laid off from his job. So that meant losing his health insurance.
02:00-02:14
[Video fades to black and then cuts to Mia sitting talking to the camera]
Mia: The only way that a breast cancer survivor can maintain optimal health, is by having those annual mammograms. And I couldn't get one for three years. My anxiety was like, “I think I feel a lump. Do I feel a lump?” I just didn't know.
02:14-02:40
[Mia continues sitting and talking to the camera]
Mia: And so finally I decide, I said: “Okay. I'm going to have to just bite the bullet and go to one of the local resources to get a mammogram done.” And that didn't go well either. I had to provide my income tax returns. I had to tell them how I was paying my bills. I was receiving food stamp benefits. I was broke, and they still told me I had to pay $150.
02:40-03:00
[Screen fades to black and a photograph of Mia’s husband smiling in a white uniform appears on screen. Video cuts to Mia sitting and talking to the camera with a tearful face]
Mia: My husband passed away in, April of 2020, and he was a veteran. So once he, it's unfortunate, but he, he had to die so I can live.
03:00-03:13
[Screen fades to black, a photograph of Mia lovingly kissing her husband appears on screen, and then the video cuts back to Mia sitting and talking to the camera]
Mia: That’s the only way I was able to get health insurance. The fact that free mammograms are being offered here today means so much to me.
03:13-03:38
[Mia continues sitting and talking to the camera tearfully]
Mia: People see cancer as the bald head or the pink shirts and the pink tutus. But it's more than just that. It's a long term effect being a survivor. It's not just the initial diagnosis and you get your chemo and your radiation and you're done. No! I'm 50 years old. I'm a 15-year survivor, and I'm still fighting!
3:38-3:59
[Video fades to black and then pans across a group of several women of all ages dancing, smiling, and waving in front of the mobile mammogram vehicle. The video fades to a white background and the red Lilly logo appears on screen]
Caption: Over 150 women were screened nationwide, including 56 in Acre Homes.