Lizzie Hernandez’s story
For Elizabeth “Lizzie”
Hernandez,
the work she does
as a patient navigator
and program
coordinator
with the Breast
and Cervical Cancer Care
Programs at UTMB Health is
personal.
“My mother had breast cancer,”
she said, noting that she
also lost a niece and brother to
other types of cancers, too.
Having so much firsthand
experience with the devastating
impacts of the disease,
Hernandez loves being able to
help others affected as well.
“I enjoy working with patients
near and far,” she said. “I
love to help those in need.”
An employee at UTMB
Health for more than three
decades, she’s been in her
current role, which consists of
helping patients access necessary
treatments and care, for
15 years.
Among other things, the Galveston
native credits the work
she does with teaching her to
always practice patience.
Some of the individuals she
assists in her role are uninsured,
so part of her job is to
help them apply for Medicaid
for Breast and Cervical Cancer
(MBCC).
“Our Breast and Cervical
Cancer Screening Services
(BCCS) are part of a grant
from the Texas Health and
Human Services Commission
(HHSC),” she said. “This grant
allows UTMB to provide nocost
screening and diagnostic
breast and cervical services
to uninsured women that are
below 200 percent of the Federal
Poverty Level. Everyone
at UTMB cares and works as a
team for the uninsured patients
we are able to assist.”
Besides an unmatched level
of empathy, Hernandez also
brings a willingness to listen
to each and every patient.
She’s also bilingual and speaks
Spanish, which comes in handy
on the job, she said.
Recently, her supervisor,
Deana Gehring, who serves as
a program manager within the
UTMB Health Comprehensive
Cancer Center, went out of her
way to share just how great
Hernandez is at what she does.
“I can’t even begin to tell you
how much of a positive impact
she has had over the years for
hundreds of our breast and
cervical cancer patients,” she
said. “She is truly amazing.”
For Hernandez, though, the
impact is a mutual one.
“The smiles and hugs I’ve
received from patients I’ve
helped has to be the most
memorable part of the job,”
she said.
This feature first ran as a feature story in the 2024 Think Pink special section of the Daily News. You can view the full the publication online.