ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Health Resources is teaming up with area shelters to offer cancer screenings and checkups to shelter residents.

Verna Moten, left, and advanced practice caregiver Mary Moreno, R.N.

Texas Health’s Wellness for Life program brings services including mammograms, Pap smears, prostrate and colon screening kits into communities via specially equipped mobile health vehicles.

Screenings have been underway at Arlington Life Shelter for about a year, but now Texas Health is expanding to two additional shelters — Our Daily Bread emergency shelter in Denton and the Salvation Army’s Fort Worth shelter.

“Texas Health’s Mission is to improve the health of the people in the communities we serve, and that is especially important for our most vulnerable populations like those without homes,” said Catherine Oliveros, DrPH, Texas Health’s vice president of Community Health Improvement. “By teaming up with shelters, we’re working together to bring these important services to men and women who may have gone years without these important screenings.”

Verna Moten, 58, was among those who received a well woman exam at a December screening event in the parking lot of The Salvation Army’s J.E. & L.E. Mabee Social Service Center on East Lancaster Avenue in Fort Worth. She said it had been over 25 years since she’d last had a mammogram or Pap smear.

“I’m so grateful that I can get this done,” Moten said. “You know how long it’s been when you don’t have health insurance? It’s hard. It’s hard.”

Lisa Rose, manager of Texas Health’s mobile health program, said providing follow-up care to the unhoused population has been historically challenging.

“If a person lacks a permanent residence and a blood test comes back with an abnormality, we’ve had difficulty locating that individual again so we can get them referred for further testing or treatment,” Rose said. “By working with a shelter’s care coordinator, we now have additional assistance and tools to reconnect with a patient.”

According to the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition’s State of the Homeless Report 2023, the county saw a 22% overall increase in the number of people without homes, with 84% living in Fort Worth and 8% living in Arlington. Unemployment/no income, inability to pay rent and physical and/or mental disability are the top reason why people become homeless, the report states.

“Thanks to this partnership with Texas Health Resources, we can bridge the gap between critical health services and those facing barriers to access,” said Deborah Bullock, the Salvation Army’s director of adult and family programs for Tarrant and Ellis counties. “It is our shared goal that every client takes advantage of free screenings during mobile visits, ensuring comprehensive health assessments for everyone under our care.”

In Denton County, approximately 1,200 people experience homelessness in a year. Of those, almost 46% are homeless for the first time, while 54% have been homeless before, according to the 2022 Denton County Homelessness Data Report by the United Way of Denton County.

Alva Santos, chief operations officer at Our Daily Bread, said the mobile health screenings on site “have added dignity and value to the lives of our guests.”

“It says, ‘We care. You are special. We value you,’” Santos said. “These are words that many of those we serve do not hear often enough. One of the most critical first steps in homelessness recovery is self-worth and realizing that you are important and valued.”

The mobile health screenings at Our Daily Bread in Denton enhance other Texas Health efforts currently underway. Earlier this year, Texas Health awarded a $325,000 Community Impact grant to a collaboration between the Denton shelter and Health Services of North Texas, a nonprofit community health center, to connect those experiencing homelessness with primary medical care and support services.

The grant enabled HSNT to hire a part-time, on-site licensed vocational nurse and a full-time care coordinator to assist with follow-up care after a hospital discharge and help shelter residents navigate the healthcare system.

“Wellness and access to quality medical care are essential to healthy independent living,” said Wendy McGee, executive director of Our Daily Bread. “Thanks to grant funding from Texas Health and the collaborative partnership with Health Services of North Texas, our guests have opportunities to move from homelessness to self-sufficiency, aligning with our vision of a community where everyone enjoys a life of independence, dignity and hope.”

Download pictures, video interviews and B-roll from a recent screening event here.

To make an appointment for a Texas Health mobile health screening, call 1-855-318-7696. To sponsor a lifesaving mammogram, visit TexasHealth.org/Foundation.

About The Salvation Army of North Texas
The Salvation Army of North Texas provides a range of services to combat poverty, addiction, and homelessness at 21 centers of operation in Dallas, Tarrant and Ellis, and Denton and Collin counties. Faithful to our mission, The Salvation Army enables God-empowered transformations of individuals and society through food assistance, shelter, rehabilitation, counseling, spiritual support, mentoring and job placement, and more. For more information, visit www.SalvationArmyNTX.org [linkprotect.cudasvc.com].

About Our Daily Bread
Since 2000 Our Daily Bread has provided homeless neighbors with opportunities for a new start.  Our staff is committed to assisting our guests in finding paths to purpose, independence, dignity, and hope. Our Daily Bread is open 24/7 offering a one-stop location to provide needed services to meet physical, mental, educational, employment, and housing needs.  Visit www.ourdailybreaddenton.org to learn how you can be a part of the process to benefit our guests every day.