Show notes
A new CEO steps into The Rose and immediately confronts the realities behind 60,000annual screenings: rural healthcare deserts, under‑reimbursed mammograms, and anaging but essential mobile fleet. During this conversation, COO Jessica Duckworth sits down with Angie Lane to talk aboutwhat surprised her most in her first six weeks, why 3D mammography on five pinkcoaches is non‑negotiable for twenty‑six Texas counties with no freestanding imaging,and how shrinking insurance and Medicare payments make patient navigation andfinancial stewardship core to The Rose’s future. Support The Rose HERE. Subscribe to Let’s Talk About Your Breasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, and wherever you get your podcasts. Key Questions Answered 1. What did Angie learn in her first weeks about serving 60,000 women a year acrossforty‑five counties?2. How do The Rose’s five mobile coaches deliver 3D mammograms in counties with noimaging centers at all?3. Why does Angie describe many of The Rose’s service areas as “healthcare deserts”?4. What does it actually cost The Rose to provide a screening compared to what manyinsurers and Medicare reimburse?5. How does Angie connect her new role to her experience as a working mother who mighthave to lose a day’s work just to reach the medical center?6. Why does she see patient navigation as a uniquely important service for women whoreceive a cancer diagnosis?7. How does Angie’s personal experience hearing a difficult diagnosis about her childshape her empathy for patients at The Rose?8. What financial priorities does Angie name for keeping The Rose stable whilemaintaining high standards of care?9. How does Jessica frame the dual challenge of limited healthcare options and limitedhealth insurance in rural Texas? Timestamped Overview00:00 Jessica welcomes listeners, introduces herself as COO of The Rose, and framesthe episode as a chance for the community to meet new CEO Angie Lane.00:25 Angie thanks Jessica and shares her awe at the scale of The Rose’s work,including serving 60,000 women annually and operating the largest mobilemammography fleet in Texas.00:30 She describes the five RV coaches, their 24‑hour air‑conditioning, bumpy ruralroads, and sophisticated equipment required to bring mammograms to areas withoutfreestanding clinics.01:13 Jessica notes that out of The Rose’s forty‑five‑county service area, twenty‑sixcounties have no freestanding mammography units, making the mobile fleet essential.01:19 She adds that the coaches carry 3D mammography, the gold standard, whichmany local facilities still do not offer.01:33 Angie reflects on growing up near the Texas Medical Center, contrasts thataccess with surrounding counties she now sees as healthcare deserts, and imaginesthe burden on working mothers who would have to take a full day to reach the medicalcenter for routine screening.02:21 Jessica points out that rural communities face deserts in both healthcare servicesand health insurance coverage, compounding access gaps.02:50 Angie explains that providing a mammogram can cost The Rose around $300,while some reimbursements come in around $150–$175, and says closing that gapwithout sacrificing quality is a priority.03:36 Jessica highlights The Rose’s patient navigation program and asks Angie howshe views its importance and future.04:11 Angie calls navigation one of The Rose’s most important services, connects it toher own experience hearing a diagnosis about her child, and underscores howoverwhelming cancer can be even for people already working in healthcare.06:00 Angie talks about the emotional load on patients and families and why having askilled, compassionate navigator alongside them can change the experience oftreatment.07:15 Jessica and Angie touch briefly on funder conversations, the need to explain thatsupport goes far beyond “just a mammogram,” and how navigation, follow‑up, andsystem gaps factor into funding requests.09:30 Angie closes by returning to her core goal: protecting access and quality for everywoman The Rose serves while steering the organization safely through shiftingreimbursement and rural need.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.