Published May 2004

Linking women to health care, support

By Kimberly Hilden
SCBJ Assistant Editor

Kerri Mallams will never forget the lesson she learned while working on an undergraduate practicum on her way toward a graduate degree in social work.

It was 1994, and she was putting together a holiday luncheon with the Snohomish Health District for women with HIV and AIDS. While talking to the luncheon attendees, Mallams learned that support for women with life-challenging illnesses was in short supply, whether that support came in the form of a caring touch, a shoulder to lean on or a network of health-care resources.

“Women are the caregivers,” Mallams said. “In the family, their role is to support other people, so there’s a lack of support for women who are sick.”

To address that need, Mallams and a small group of social and health-care workers formed the Positive Women’s Network in 1996, offering direct care and connections to other health and human services for women and their families in the greater Puget Sound area.

In the beginning, PWN operated out of Mallams’ home before moving to donated space in the Kusler’s Pharmacy building in Snohomish. In February 2002, PWN moved to its current location, at 3701 Broadway in Everett.

Today, PWN, headed by Mallams, has five employees and a growing list of programs offered, including:

n For Women Only, which connects uninsured and underinsured women to free mammograms and yearly health exams. Women also can be connected to contracted clinics in their area for a yearly health exam, or can visit PWN headquarters, where, once a month, the place is turned into a health clinic, thanks to a mobile mammogram machine brought in by The Breast Center from Swedish/Providence, Mallams said. Doctors also are on hand to perform clinical exams, and students from Everett Community College’s nursing program take patients’ vital signs.

“Many women have said it’s the best clinical experience they’ve had,” said Mallams, pointing to the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the office, which is located in a former residence.

In the past two years of the program, PWN has helped more than 540 women receive mammograms and annual health exams, with nine of those diagnosed with breast and/or cervical cancers, Mallams said.

For Women Only is funded primarily through the Washington Breast and Cervical Health Program and by a grant from the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Snohomish County Business Journal/KIMBERLY HILDEN The women of Everett-based Positive Women’s Network: (from left) Elodia Gonzalez, volunteer; Kerri Mallams, director; Anne Miles, administrative coordinator; Karen Foley, outreach coordinator; and Loryn Mallams, volunteer.

n Basic Food Education, formerly known as Food Stamps, “provides information and education to people with limited resources,” according to PWN literature. Funding for the federal program comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mallams said.

“We do a lot of outreach; we’ll go to food banks,” she said, noting that during the past year, PWN provided information to 972 people.

n The TLC Program (Therapeutic Licensed Clinicians for Snohomish County), which provides “information, support and referrals for women living with acute, chronic or life-challenging illnesses,” according to PWN literature. The program connects these women to volunteer massage therapists, reiki practitioners and support groups, Mallams said. Funding for the program is reliant on donations and fund raisers.

“We kind of hold our breath and hope it keeps going,” she added, noting that to date, 49 women with life-challenging conditions have accessed the program.

For Women Only and Basic Food Education are provided in five Western Washington counties: Island, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish and Whatcom. TLC is provided for clients in Snohomish County, Mallams said.

Along with these programs, PWN offers education in the form of a quarterly newsletter and training seminars/workshops for other social and health-care providers, as well as public events such as the upcoming “Girls to Grandmothers: Everett’s Premier Women’s Wellness Festival” set for May1 at Everett Station.

In partnership with Providence Everett Medical Center, Snohomish Health District and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Region X Office on Women’s Health, PWN is coordinating the daylong, free event designed for women, Mallams said.

Along with a fashion show, music, arts and crafts, and assorted demonstrations of massage, reiki and self-defense, attendees will receive health-care information and have the opportunity to be screened for blood-pressure, bone-density and cholesterol levels, with screenings performed by EvCC student nurses and Providence staff, she said.

“We hope it will be an annual event,” said Mallams, who recently was recognized by Soroptimist International of Everett for her work, winning the chapter’s Women Helping Women award.

Looking toward the future — and expanding its capabilities to serve the women of this region — PWN is planning to kick off a capital campaign in May to raise funds for a women’s wellness center, she said. Envisioned is a membership-oriented facility with sliding-scale fees that would encompass all aspects of wellness, from various exercise classes and educational seminars to nutritional presentations from guest chefs, as well as the mobile mammogram program.

Still in the early stages, the nonprofit project is one that would pay for itself, Mallams said. “There really isn’t a model anywhere for us to look at. It’s very exciting.”

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