Here In Your Time of Need - An HSNT Patient Story
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Nobody is ever ready for a cancer diagnosis, and nobody ever wants to hear one, so when Talia Thornton did a usual check of her body and found some strange lumps on her breast, she immediately started to worry. It couldn’t be a tumor, right? But how would she know? How will she pay for this? All of these questions started swirling in her mind. When she went to the Solis Mammography Center in Denton and was told she needed a referral from a women’s clinic first, that’s when she found out about Health Services of North Texas – and how HSNT could ease a little bit of that financial worry for her.
“I’m a mother of 4 girls, you know: 23 years old, 21, 15, and 5,” Talia says. “I’m a business owner – I own my own salon – but it’s struggling right now with this pandemic… [so] it was great to know that I could be seen without having to spend a whole bunch of money.”
For her appointment in HSNT’s women’s health center at Medical City Denton, Talia saw Beverly Johnson, one of HSNT’s newest physician assistants, and someone who is passionate about the work she does.
“I enjoy [providing care to] a diverse patient population and being able to really educate patients and give them a voice,” Beverly says. “Especially women’s health – women’s health is one of the most private parts of a woman’s life, and they’re asking [me] for help. But HSNT embraces diversity and compassion, and this bond empowers our patients to be proactive.”
After her visit with Beverly, Talia had an appointment with Kerry Gamble, a nurse practitioner, at HSNT’s location in the Serve Denton Center. It was a simple visit to just draw some blood, but Talia was immediately put at ease by Kerry’s bedside manner.
“She was really kind and sweet – I really liked her,” Talia says. “She was very informative, and I think she stayed with me a little bit longer than she was supposed to, but she really listened to what I was saying and my concerns about my body.”
With her salon struggling to stay afloat, Talia was most thankful that HSNT was a place she could get care without needing to worry about the cost.
“It’s affordable, it helps me be able to keep up with these appointments without worrying about having to pay hundreds of dollars…. Everybody was friendly, you have great staff who are very helpful. They helped me with the Healow app. I even had one of my daughters get her women’s checkup with Beverly, and she said her visit went well,” Talia says. “I’ll be making another appointment for my daughter soon.”
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If you would like to help patients, like Talia, that could use a hand up through medical care, please consider supporting Health Services of North Texas through a financial gift. Your gift can make a difference - and no matter what you give, what you give matters.
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