First Lady Jill Biden Lauds Promise Fund as “Incredible Example” of Hope

Visit shines light on the nonprofit’s innovative patient navigator model, which partners patients with a personal health care advocate

West Palm Beach, Fla. (June 27, 2022) — On Thursday, June 23, the Promise Fund of Florida welcomed First Lady Jill Biden in recognition of the nonprofit’s incredible progress in improving high quality access to care by helping uninsured and underinsured women overcome cultural and financial barriers to obtain critical, early detection screening and life-saving treatment for breast and cervical cancers.

Dr. Biden began her visit to Palm Beach County with a tour of FoundCare Palm Springs, a Federally Qualified Health Center where the Promise Fund has co-located the Promise Fund Women’s Health Center, which houses a 3D state-of-the art mammography machine donated by medical technology leader Hologic. Prior to the center’s opening in 2020 in the high-risk, medically underserved community, only 10 percent of FoundCare patients with orders for mammograms received one. Now, nearly 60 percent do.

“The partnership happening here is incredibly novel and effective at making meaningful change in early detection and better outcomes,” Chris Irizarry, chief executive officer of FoundCare, said after the tour. “I hope to see this health care model replicated at Federally Qualified Health Centers across the nation.”

The First Lady made the visit in support of the Biden Administration's Cancer Moonshot initiative "to highlight the importance of private sector commitments and collaboration in the effort to end cancer as we know it." She was joined by Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Andrea Palm.

“With the Promise Fund’s help, they have made mammograms not only affordable and accessible, but easy,” Dr. Biden told an audience of community, public, and private sector leaders at the Hilton West Palm Beach. “Over the last year and a half, I’ve traveled across the country—and even the world—to learn about innovative programs and partnerships that are making progress in these areas. And there is so much hope to be found. The Promise Fund is an incredible example of that hope.”

Ambassador Nancy Brinker, Promise Fund co-founder, called it “a tremendous honor” to have the First Lady shine a spotlight on both the health equity disparities that the Promise Fund works to overcome as well as the unique Continuum of Care service delivery model that builds patient trust and support, making the health care system feel more welcoming for marginalized women. 

“Research has shown that navigated patients have much better health care outcomes and survival rates,” Ambassador Brinker said. “These navigators bring patients to screenings and treatments, serving as translators, health educators, and guides through our complex medical system. They hold hands with patients through their tears, fears, and joys—and along the way empower them to become their own health advocates.”

Promise Fund patient navigator and two-time breast cancer survivor Liliana Herrera had the distinction of introducing the First Lady at the community-based event. She shared with the audience that she was uninsurable when her cancer returned, and she struggled to find an oncologist or charitable organization to help. Ultimately, she quit her job—causing her to lose her home and car—until her total lack of income allowed her to qualify for care. She credited her experiences for providing her with a deep empathy for those patients she serves.

“Some patients don’t speak English. Some don’t know where to apply for help. Some don’t have a car to get to medical appointments. Some don’t have anyone to watch their kids during their treatment, or to hold their hand when they get hard news,” she said. “Until they meet me, or another Promise Fund navigator. Then, they have all of those things.”

After launching the patient-centered navigation component of the Continuum of Care model in 2018, more than 16,000 women in predominantly low-income communities of color have been educated, screened, treated, and navigated for breast and cervical cancer. The Promise Fund looks to double that impact in 2022 and reach all 80,000 uninsured women in Palm Beach County by 2024.