The failure of the Federal Government to provide universal and affordable healthcare has negatively impacted the health and financial viability of American families.  As a result, community-based organizations and non-profits have had to pick up the gauntlet.  Desert Women for Equality is one such organization.  DWE provides free mammograms to the uninsured and underinsured women of the Coachella Valley.

This is a Press Release from DWE:

Desert Healthcare District (DHCD) has awarded a $40,000 grant to Desert Women for Equality’s innovative and successful “We Care” Free Mobile Mammogram Program so that the organization can continue providing free mammograms to uninsured/underinsured women who do not have a doctor’s referral for the test.

DHCD is a governmental agency that was established in 1948 by the State of California to improve and support community health programs within a 457-square mile service area in the Coachella Valley. “The DHCD grant not only provides DWE with necessary funding to sustain and grow our program, but it also recognizes the viability of the program and the great need there is for the services that we are providing to the community,” said Barbara Barrett, President of DWE. “DWE was founded by a group of community-oriented women and has been largely funded and supported by the local community. Now DHCD has joined us in our effort ,and we are very grateful for their support. and we hope that we can establish a long-lasting partnership with them. We are also now investigating the possibility of expanding our services and of offering free prostate cancer screenings to the men of our Valley. We need to keep them healthy too,” Barrett stated.

The grant will pay for individual mammograms given within the District. The DWE mobile mammography partner, Physician’s Diagnostic Imaging, brings mammography equipment to various pre-determined sites in the Coachella Valley. Women are screened on an appointment and walk-in basis, not needing a doctor’s referral. Clients who require follow-up care are then referred to free medical clinics and treatment centers for further medical assessment and evaluation. Since June 2006, Desert Women for Equality has completed 564 free mammograms. In 2008, six clinics were scheduled in the DHCD service area, and three clinics were scheduled outside the District in the cities of Coachella and Indio.

The “We Care” program is in direct alignment with the District’s strategic objectives – target access to breast-cancer screening, improve access to primary health care underserved communities, and facilitate access to health education, disease prevention and comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services.

DWE has planned the next “We Care” clinic at the Indio Senior Center for May 14, 2008, and will also offer other clinics in Coachella, Palm Springs, and Thousand Palms later this year.

To make an appointment for any “We Care” Free Mobile Mammogram clinic, please contact the DWE office at 760-325-4701.  To make a charitable donation, please send your tax-deductible check to Desert Women For Equality, 555 S. Sunrise Way, Suite 212E, Palm Springs, CA 92262. For every $80.00 that you donate, DWE provides one woman with a free mammogram. Check out the website at desertwomenforequality.com for more information on DWE and its programs.