Celebrating Patient Milestone – Cancer Treatment Complete!
Pictured Above: Ms. M with Ivana Barnes, RN, BSN – WeCareJax RN Case Manager celebrating being cancer-free at the 2023 Caring Awards.
Despite seeing a high number of cancer care cases, especially those with diagnosis in late stages due to delayed care for our uninsured neighbors, the WeCareJax team continues to bridge access gaps and find pathways to care for the vast majority of cases. One of those patients shared her story at our annual Caring Awards in November 2023.
Without health insurance, Ms. M and her family explored every cancer center charitable program they could find, from here to Miami. After an emergency surgery found ovarian cancer and included total hysterectomy, her surgical team recommended six courses of chemotherapy – but she didn’t have resources to pay out of pocket. The surgery itself left her unable to work for some time, which put her family’s housing, food, and other needs in jeopardy.
Fortunately, Ms. M connected to MASS Clinic for primary care follow-up, who sent the referral to WeCareJax to help with her treatment plan. Immediately, our RN Case Manager jumped into action, sharing her case with treatment partners and advocating for the patient. Within a week of referral, she was accepted at Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center for chemotherapy.
Through her active treatment, she received bi-weekly home pantry and fresh produce deliveries in partnership with CSAEC, her ongoing lab orders were placed through LabCorp under WeCareJax, and touchpoints through her care with her RN provided additional ways she could be best supported. Today, she is enrolled in our Cancer Survivorship program, meeting with her RN, accessing pantry and produce supplies twice a month on our campus with support from Feeding NE FL, and more.