Culturally Sensitive Breast Cancer Screening
Did you know that St. Louis is home to more than 25,000 refugee women from around the world?
Many have never had the opportunity to receive a mammogram or learn about breast health. Since 2002, we have received funding from the St. Louis affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® foundation that supports the Barnes-Jewish Hospital’s Daylight Project which bridges cultural and language barriers to screening and breast cancer services.
For example, many culturally conservative Muslim women are uncomfortable with male health care providers and face language barriers for receiving care. For this reason, the Daylight Project's “Behind the Veil” breast health screening provides these women with transportation, an all-female staff, covering gowns and interpreters fluent in Bosnian, Farsi, Arabic and Kurdish.
“Without the interpreters [at our screening] we would not understand anything: where, when, what. Instead, we would stay home. But a lot of people die of breast cancer, and we want to come to make sure we are healthy," patients Hania Jameel, Khadija Ali and Serea Khalel agree.
Support projects like “Behind the Veil” by making an online gift today to the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation’s Breast Cancer Screening for New Americans Program Fund (#5679).
Flights for Patients with Transportation Needs
Southwest Airlines Medical Transportation Grants Program recently awarded Barnes-Jewish Hospital with 60 round-trip tickets for patients and their family members who need financial assistance to travel great distances for medical services. Reasons for travel range from a patient not being able to receive care in one’s hometown to a patient needing assistance from a loved one who lives far away.
To learn more about the program, contact Jim Hoerchler, manager of social work, at 314-362-3063 or [email protected].
Turning the Medical Environment into an ART OASIS
Calming. Relaxing. Rejuvenating. These are words not typically associated with visits to the hospital. But thanks to the Arts + Healthcare program—supported through gifts to the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation—patients, caregivers and employees are having their spirits raised and their stress eased.
Arts + Healthcare offers art galleries, hands-on creative outlets and performing arts, and is always evolving to meet personal needs of patients, caregivers and employees. Most recently, the program launched Sundays at Siteman, a free performing arts event held monthly at Barnes-Jewish Hospital's Center for Advanced Medicine. This event is designed to offer respite to patients, their families and employees who are struggling with the anxiety that comes with awaiting test results, treatments and diagnostic tests scheduled for the coming week.
Arts + Healthcare fosters the institutional culture at Barnes-Jewish that includes the arts as an integral part of hope and healing. Find out more by visiting BarnesJewish.org/Giving/Arts-Healthcare.
Support this program, by making an online gift to the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation's Arts + Healthcare Program Fund (#6541).