Profile: Yanet

Team of specialists helps restore health and reduce pain for uninsured patient

Yanet (they/their)* is one of more than 60,000 patients who have received life-changing care through Project Access Northwest.

When Yanet began experiencing crippling back pain, their primary care provider at Kaiser Permanente ordered a series of tests to identify possible causes. Eventually, their case was referred to an orthopedic specialist, who determined that Yanet required both shoulder- and hip-replacement surgery to resolve the pain.

However, Yanet had additional complications — obesity and poorly controlled diabetes — that they had to get under control before they were a candidate for this much-needed surgery. With support from physical therapists and nutritional counselors, Yanet made huge strides losing weight and stabilizing their diabetes. Yanet has now qualified to receive surgery at Kaiser Permanente later this year, all at no cost to them.

“There was no other help for me out there,” says Yanet, when asked how they would have gotten better without support from Project Access Northwest. “I could not have done anything.”

Yanet received this life-changing intervention thanks to our skilled team of care coordinators, generous medical partners and volunteer providers, and donors like you who understand that everyone deserves good care.