Caitlin Whyte (Host): Welcome to In Their Words, a podcast brought to you by the UPMC Pinnacle Foundation and UPMC in Central PA. AnInoday's powerful episode, we dive deep into the heart of women's healthcare with two extraordinary professionals who are on the front lines of community health. Linda Weihbrecht, nurse coordinator of the UPMC Healthy Women Program and Nancy Cupps, Director of Women's Services at Magee-Women's Hospital. Together, they share raw and emotional insights into a mission that goes far beyond medical screenings. It's about saving lives.

Through intimate stories and professional experiences, Linda and Nancy shed light on the critical challenges faced by uninsured and underinsured women in our community and how the UPMC Healthy Woman Program has become a lifeline for those who might otherwise fall through the cracks of the healthcare system.

This episode is an eye-opening conversation about the power of access to care, the barriers women face and the profound impact of compassionate life-saving healthcare.​

Nancy Cupps: So, my name is Nancy Cupps. I am the Regional Director for the Women's Health Service Line for UPMC Central PA. I have been with UPMC for 28 years. I'm an OB nurse by background, and I'm responsible for the clinical and operational portions of Central PA.

Linda Weihbrecht: I'm Linda Weihbrecht. I'm the nurse coordinator for the Healthy Woman Program, which is now called the Pennsylvania Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program and the Mammogram Voucher Program at UPMC in Central Pennsylvania. My background is as an RN and health coach. And I've been with the system since 1981. I started out as a medical assistant and really had some very nice positions. I worked in the residency program, the family practice residency program, where I learned so much. And I worked at Kline Children and Teen and coordinated different programs there, which was a wonderful education and it just gradually worked into nursing. I took one class at a time and just kept plugging away at it and ended up as an RN.

Host: And Nancy, what about you?

Nancy Cupps: Oh, I got a story. So, nursing is my second career. My first career was I was a lingerie buyer for a major department store. My second pregnancy was pretty difficult and my son almost died. And I saw what the nurses did for him and he's very successful now, all is good. And I quit this lavish job and I went to nursing school, because I'm hoping I can make a difference.

Linda Weihbrecht: It was formerly called the Healthy Woman Program. It has actually been around over 30 years. And as a state program, it's sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control, state and federally funded. And UPMC Central Pennsylvania was asked to be a provider six years ago because there was a lack of providers in the Central Pennsylvania area. So, we've had this program, this is our sixth year.

The Mammogram Voucher Program was designed for people in need of mammograms that had no insurance and a way for them to get these needed mammograms. The Pennsylvania Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program is for people who are uninsured and underinsured. They have to meet the income guidelines, which is 250% of the poverty level, which is on their website. They have a grid that shows you what that income level is, and it goes by family size and income. And it was also designed not to replace any government programs. So, people who have Medicare A and B, or have Medicaid aren't eligible because they're already in a government program.

I know right now, because I keep a spreadsheet, that we're up to 1426 patients that we've served. So, we continue to build the program and get referrals from many clinics and other patient-to-patient word of mouth. We have great buy in from our staff at UPMC Central Pennsylvania, from our price analysts to our central schedulers, our nurse navigators. The program's so well supported by the hospital staff to give me referrals. And the program just continues to grow. And the really great part about since we're six years in is we formed good relationships with patients in the community, and they return year after year, which is really nice to see.

The number for the program for the Pennsylvania Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program in Pennsylvania is online, and Adagio Health administers the program. So if they call that 800 number, they're going to get Adagio Health. They refer patients to us. The doctor's offices in the area refer. The clinics that help people refer. Patients refer. We have flyers that help guide patients to our services. So, we have many different avenues to bring patients in.

Nancy Cupps: I have a personal example. I'm not from this area. I come up Monday through Friday from Pittsburgh. And I met a woman that works full time in the motel industry and does not have insurance. And she knew I worked for UPMC and she found a lump. So, you know, I advised her what to do. When she went to get the biopsy, they said to her, We need $2,500 before you get it. And she called me hysterical because finances, that's not one thing they need to worry about. So, I reached out to Linda and here she was already in the program, and she is so relieved, like that's one less thing she has to worry about. You know, she's fighting for her life right now. And finance is not one thing that she should be concerned with at all. So, I can see it firsthand how grateful this program is to our patients.

Linda Weihbrecht: I would say that without these programs, women may forego being screened at all, or following up on an abnormal screening mammogram. They may just choose to say, "I'll be fine. It's probably nothing," and just not follow up if we didn't have these programs. And they really do save lives. I just need purposeful work. I didn't picture myself doing this program, but this is very purposeful work.

Well, they should be aware of their family history, to have a talk with their family about things, especially for this program, breast and cervical cancer that might run in the family. And those people should have a talk with their physician about what their screening schedule looks like. If they're high risk patients, they may want to see one of our breast care specialists. We have five wonderful breast care centers. And they could have a conversation if their screening schedule for breast cancer looks different than the general public, and it might. And then, the general guidelines are at age 40, and insurance usually pays at age 40.

I'm the one that's enrolling people. I follow them. I get them referred to where they need to be referred, and probably my biggest headache is billing. I have specialty billers that bill to UPMC. They take care of the UPMC side, but I build the state and I pay the invoices for ancillary services for the program.

Nancy Cupps: Well, Linda reports to me, and because she is so outstanding, I just support her. If there are any concerns, like we've had concerns with the outpatient offices, and as soon as that concern's brought to life, we set up a Teams meeting, sort through it, and again, it's all about the patient outcome and what is best for the patient.

Host: As we delve deeper into today's conversation, we ask Linda and Nancy why organizations like the UPMC Pinnacle Foundation are so crucial to making their work possible. Linda and Nancy both share how vital the support is. Without it, so many of the programs that provide critical healthcare and access to uninsured and underinsured women would simply not exist. It's not just about providing medical care. It's about breaking down the barriers that prevent these women from getting the help they need and ensuring that no one is left behind.

Linda Weihbrecht: The foundation was just paramount in getting this program off the ground and all of Nancy's work with working with Adagio Health. And it was just a great win-win for the state of Pennsylvania for us to become a provider and for Adagio to work so nicely with us as a provider.

The MVP, we couldn't do this work without having both the Mammogram Voucher Program and the Pennsylvania Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Programs. The programs work hand in hand, and they sort of support one another. So without the foundation and all their hard work, we just wouldn't be able to do this work.

Host: With the healthy woman program already making such a profound impact, what's next? How do they envision expanding its reach and furthering its mission to serve even more women in need?

Nancy Cupps: I think continued growth to make sure that we are not missing any patients, and also to get in contact with the patients that think they're going to be fine. Like Linda had spoken about earlier, we need to get it out there that there is help for them and that they can get the help without worrying about the financial burden.

Linda Weihbrecht: I see a future where we address more underserved populations, populations that may not have been getting regular screening, and to have patients feel like they are more advocates for their own health. We do a lot of educating about different legislation that affects women's health. The Act 1 has been a big topic, that new legislation that helps people with high risk get the proper screening that they need. And I think it's just that support, it's just supporting patients to get more education for themselves so they make better healthcare choices. That would be my hope.

Nancy Cupps: We just received a donation, and you may be aware of this, for a medical van for the Women's Health Service line. It is being custom built, and it is just for women to go to these underprivileged areas. It's going to be run by nurses and midwives, and it is outstanding. We haven't gone out there and announced it yet because it's being built, but that's our future.

Linda Weihbrecht: The Pennsylvania Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program is working closely with the WISH Mobile. And we are providing payment for the office visits, Pap smears, and HPV testing, and then helping people get mammograms.

Nancy Cupps: This donor has donated before, and when she heard the need, there was no question. Like, I didn't have to create a pro forma, an Excel spreadsheet. She just said, "We will help you." And I think that it is a huge, huge help to all the women in Central PA. I think if you just listen to everyone, that this was not a planned meeting. We were sitting there and it happened.

Linda Weihbrecht: I think there's also so many small donors that are people who are really supportive of the mammogram voucher program. And I always tell patients, the way you can pay it forward, they'll say, "We're so grateful for the help we've received." And I say, "You can pay it forward by not letting any friends or family go without mammograms or Pap smears." send them to these programs for help. We're here to help the community be healthy. That's why we're here.

Host: As we wrap up, today's powerful conversation. We reflect on the incredible work being done by the UPMC Healthy Woman Program and the transformative impact it has on the lives of women in our community, thanks to the dedication of Linda, Nancy and countless others. Women who might otherwise go without essential care now have access to the screenings and support they need to thrive.

We also recognize the vital role that organizations like the UPMC Pinnacle Foundation play in making this work possible ensuring that programs like the Healthy Woman Program continue to break down barriers and provide life-saving services to those who need it most.

Thank you for joining us for this important conversation. We hope it's inspired you to learn more. Get involved and support the mission of providing equitable healthcare for all women. This has been In Their Words, brought to you by the UPMC Pinnacle Foundation and UPMC in Central PA. Stay tuned for more stories that are making a difference in your community.