Tracy Lane’s legacy lives on through her foundation’s work.

Before losing her battle with cervical cancer, Tracy Lane of La Quinta and her husband Derek started a foundation to further Tracy’s final mission in life: to generate awareness for the importance of regular Pap smears to ensure other young women would be spared her fate.

Tracy passed in August 2013, but her work and wishes live on through The Tracy Lane Foundation (TLF) which provides free women’s wellness exams to any female in need of one.

This summer, the TLF partnered with two clinics in the Coachella Valley to offer free services: Optimal Health Center in Palm Desert and Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine (CVVIM) in Indio. Both organizations are reimbursed by the foundation for the exams they provide, all at no cost to patients.

“The Tracy Lane Foundation has given me the opportunity to reach out to women who lack insurance or with a lower income to close a gap in health care disparities,” said Shannon Sinsheimer, N.D., of Optimal Health. “Many of the women we see have avoided annual Paps due to cost, physicians changing insurance plans, or simply comfort with a provider.”

This past August, the TLF held an inaugural “Pap-A-Thon” at Optimal Health providing free women’s wellness exams and also raising awareness. “Through a social media campaign and web traffic, more and more women have reached out to Dr. Sinsheimer and are taking advantage of this free program,” said executive director Alexandra Lee. “Quality time is spent with the doctor during an exam and educational material, prevention, and healthy lifestyle options are discussed.”

The TLF also partnered with the valley’s only free medical clinic, CVVIM, to sponsor all of their pap-smears adding the HPV screening to each exam physicians provide. Any woman who is eligible to receive services from CVVIM (current and/or new patients) can receive a women’s wellness exam. New patients are asked to request the exam when they schedule an appointment to ensure they are scheduled with the appropriate physician.

Roy M. Pitkin, Professor Emeritus in the UCLA School of Medicine and former Chair of UCLA’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology commented, “In providing critical support to CVVIM’s cervical cancer screening program, the Tracy Lane Foundation demonstrates its strong commitment to promoting the health and well-being of medically underserved women.”

“All the physicians providing medical service at CVVIM do so on a volunteer basis, so it is the foundation’s privilege to help cover the lab fees associated with providing women’s wellness exams,” added Lee. The TLF support allows the clinic to provide this service to a larger number of women.

For more information, visit TracyLaneFoundation.com. Optimal Health Center can be reached at (760) 568.2598. CVVIM can be reached at (760) 342.4414.