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May 21, 2007 Help with breast and cervical cancer screenings available
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Hayden,ID - Panhandle Health District (PHD) is encouraging women ages 50 to 64 with no or limited medical insurance to call PHD for appointments for breast and cervical cancer screening through the federally-funded Women's Health Check program. Although northern Idaho's population has grown since last year, fewer women have taken advantage of the program that helped diagnose 25 breast cancers in the last five years and seven cervical pre-cancers in the last two years. Last year, 698 women participated in Women's Health Check. The federal program will direct money elsewhere if women in northern Idaho show a decreased need for Women's Health Check. Under Women's Health Check, women on limited incomes with no insurance coverage for mammograms and Pap smears can get a clinical breast exam and Pap test at PHD. If a mammogram is needed, PHD will provide a voucher to pay for it. When the results are ready, a PHD nurse practitioner will help the patient understand them and refer her to a surgeon, if necessary. Patients enrolled in the Women's Health Check are eligible to apply for Medicaid if a breast cancer or cervical cancer is diagnosed. Women's Health Check accepts women only before their cancer is diagnosed. "Early diagnosis increases a woman's chance of a cure," said Gail Turley, a senior registered nurse at PHD. This year, the Women's Health Check program has diagnosed three breast cancers and one cervical cancer. Turley encouraged younger women to have annual breast exams. A grant from Komen for the Cure may help income-eligible women who don't meet age guidelines for Women's Health Check. Eligibility for Women's Health Check is based on household annual income:
For appointments at PHD in Hayden, call 415-5100. In Bonner County, call 263-5159. In Boundary Coiunty, call 267-5558. In Shoshone County, call 786-7474. In Benewah County, call 245-4556. ### |
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