Mammograms

One of our priorities is to address healthcare disparities in the Latino/Hispanic community. To that end, the Hispanic/Latino business resource group (BRG) in partnership with our breast center and BB&T Bank brought our mammography mobile unit to one of the local BB&T branches in Winston-Salem to serve the Latino/Hispanic community. This particular BB&T branch is staffed by bilingual personnel, and it is located close to neighborhoods with the highest proportion of Hispanic/Latinos in the city. BRG members had the opportunity to serve 29 Latina/Hispanic women who received a free mammography screening that day. For many of them, this was the first time they had a chance to have a mammogram, even if they should have had it years ago. This was an effective way to bring this lifesaving screening to a population that has had limited access to these services. Community members were very appreciative of the BRG’s presence in the community, not only to provide the exams, but to do it in an environment that was safe, familiar and convenient to them. Bilingual members of the Latino-Hispanic BRG were at the bank to help patients and staff. Latino-Hispanic BRG members acknowledged feeling more engaged in the community and closer to meaningful work like this initiative, which can save people’s lives. Our team members helped with translating and caring for our patients, and they had the opportunity to make the space as welcoming as possible. This initiative gives our team members a space where they continue to feel their authentic

selves and use their bilingual skills, which results in higher levels of engagement and positive attitudes about our organization. Our team members also develop new skills in engaging with community members, serving patients and expanding our community relationships through this innovative way of engaging with our Spanish-speaking community. One of our health system’s long-term goals is to increase the mammography screening rates among different underserved populations, one of them being our Latino/Hispanic population. This innovative initiative contributes to eliminating a health disparity among those patients who need to have a mammogram screening that could save their lives. This work also allows our team members to be engaged at a deeper level in the community, which results in higher levels of engagement and retention when they contribute in more meaningful and inclusive ways with peers who share the same language and culture. This work also results in new people coming in contact with our health system and becoming patients when they are referred to a primary care physician or coming back for additional diagnostic services. This aligns with our market and financial growth in this particular area. For 45% of the women who received mammograms that day, this was their first mammogram ever. They were very appreciative of our presence in the community, especially in a safe, familiar environment and convenient location created by our team members. Words cannot describe the many thanks we have received from them, and their appreciation was visible.

Some of the comments we received were, "Thank you for doing this and taking the time to make sure we get in for the mammograms. You didn't have to go out of your way to do so but you did.” And “You have no idea what this means to me and I’m sure to other women here today, taking the time and doing this for free.” Our brand presence and brand reputation continue to grow: BB&T has asked that we continue to expand this program in other markets.