Qlarant Foundation Supports Defeating Breast Cancer in the District of Columbia

 

In July, Qlarant Foundation awarded a $10,000 grant to Brem Foundation to Defeat Breast Cancer, a Silver Spring, Maryland organization dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Brem Foundation improves breast cancer screening rates, health outcomes, and survival rates for women across the Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region, particularly women who are medically and financially underserved and those who face systemic injustices that create obstacles to accessing care.

Brem’s program, Wheels for Women (Wheels), provides cost-free transportation to and from breast care appointments throughout the DMV region and Baltimore. Support from the Qlarant Foundation will expand reach and ride services across the region to assist under-resourced women and save lives.

Brem administers Wheels, in partnership with Lyft, providing women in need with access to essential breast screening and diagnostics. By ensuring that women can receive fast, direct, safe, cost-free transportation to breast care appointments, and in partnership with the Qlarant Foundation, Brem can alleviate a major barrier to screenings.

“Patient navigators at our community partners are intimately involved in Brem’s work,” said Brem CEO Clare Dougherty. “Their feedback strengthens our reach and effectiveness. While identifying patients facing barriers to care, they collect formal and informal need assessments to ensure Brem optimally engages the community we serve.” Partners provide regular feedback, share de-identified and privacy-protected data and demographics about program participants, refer new potential partners, educate patients about Wheels, and work with Brem to provide seamless and client-friendly, essential programs. Brem works hand in hand with them to identify gaps and fill them in a timely and strategic manner.

Brem anticipates Wheels will serve 800 people in 2025. The proposed grant from Qlarant can serve 216 unduplicated patients and 360 rides. 70% of participants served during the last full reporting period are Latina and 30% are Black. This distribution reflects the patient populations that our mix of medical provider partners serve, all of whom are medically and financially underserved and face significant barriers to care. The women using Wheels have inadequate or no health insurance and include Medicare recipients living close to the poverty line.

The Lyft portal provides data on all rides provided, costs, distances, and miles traveled. With this information, Brem evaluates and reassesses the program’s effectiveness to maximize its growth. Billie Baldwin, Manager of Oncology Support Services at MedStar in Baltimore shared, “I know these funds have been the only means of patients to get to screenings. Our patients have few resources and are struggling. With inflation as it is, I can only assume that the needs of our patients will continue to grow. Thank you for all you do to help our patients!”

“We are pleased to add Brem and the Wheels program to our family of grantees,” said Qlarant Foundation Board Chair Lamont Thompson. “Sometimes it is the simplest of solutions that provide the greatest impact to improving the lives of the underserved. Welcome Bren!”