Promise Fund of Florida

The mission of the Promise Fund of Florida is to eliminate barriers to quality healthcare and reduce mortality from late stage breast and cervical cancer for residents of Palm Beach County through early detection, diagnosis and treatment.

Florida is the 3rd most populated state in the United States with Palm Beach County containing the third highest population in Florida with almost 900,000 women. Despite being Florida's wealthiest county, the median household income is $59,943. Sadly, Florida ranks last in the United States for the number of women under 65 who have insurance. According to a report of the Status of Women in Florida by County, approximately 25% of all women go uninsured, 30% for Black women and 40% for Latinas. It is estimated that more than 80,000 females ages 18-65 in Palm Beach County have no health insurance coverage.

Mortality of breast and cervical cancers disproportionately affect women of color with Black women having the highest rates of death from cervical cancer, and mortality rates 40% higher than White women for breast cancer and Hispanic women are most likely to develop cervical cancer, and are diagnosed with more late stage breast cancers compared to White women.

In Palm Beach County, almost half (45%) of cervical cancers and almost one-third (30%) of breast cancers are at an advanced stage when diagnosed. Less than 20% of women in Palm Beach County are currently receiving timely pap smears and mammograms in accordance with nationally recognized screening guidelines. Survival rates, if caught early, are nearly 99% for individuals diagnosed with breast cancer and nearly 95% for those diagnosed with cervical cancer.

Without adequate insurance or a medical home, women are left to seek help as best they can. This means delays in treatment and at worst, no treatment at all. Many women drop out after being diagnosed, unable to get the help they need.

In 5  years, over 1,200 women will die from breast and cervical cancer in Palm Beach County, impacting families and communities. Over 6,800 will be diagnosed.

Our Focus:

The Promise Fund is building a model of care from screening through treatment and beyond. We address social determinants of health and provide equitable screening and treatment in Palm Beach County. We aim to increase the percentage of women in Palm Beach County screened for breast and cervical cancer.

Building a Model of Care:

A continuum of care for quality services is essential to reduce sickness and death from breast and cervical cancers. This means women having access to an identified network of health providers to meet breast and cervical health needs regardless of their financial resources.

Our Model:

Our model includes multiple points of entry through outreach and navigation of women lacking health insurance, transportation, and facing other barriers based on social determinants such as income/employment, education, language skills, and geographic proximity to services. Additionally, women's primary health providers county-wide, who conduct clinical breast and pelvic exams, initiate referrals for early detection and screening to the Promise Fund's Mammography Screening Center at a federally qualified health care center. Pap smears and mammograms are the front-line early detection screenings necessary to identify abnormalities that require further evaluation through diagnostic tests. All those diagnosed with cancer will receive a plan of care with affordable treatment options.

The Promise Fund's Patient Navigator Network:

The Promise Fund's Patient Navigator Network includes six contracted partners with an additional two community partners that connect women to a medical home, breast and cervical health care services, as well as assess their eligibility for Medicaid, Affordable Health Care Insurance, and local subsidized care. Those who do not qualify cannot afford the mammogram and diagnostic cash fees and experience delays in obtaining care because they must go to multiple organizations requesting discounted care, sometimes foregoing health to meet pressing food, housing, utilities and other basic needs. 

Breast and Cervical Cancer Continuum of Care:

The continuum of care starts with our Promise Fund Patient Navigator who connects women to clinical breast and cervical exams. Our Patient Navigators help women obtain screening, diagnostic mammograms and tests. In cases of positive cancer diagnoses, our Patient Navigators help patients determine treatment plans and connect patients with community healthcare partners for treatment. Lastly, our Patient Navigators see our patients through to survivorship, integrative care and preventative care.

The Promise Fund of Florida seeks to:

1. Empower to create a network of health providers and hospitals to serve women seamlessly and affordably.
2. To provide services near where women in high-risk communities live. This improves outcomes.
3. To expand high-quality, patient-centered navigation to help women access health care