Low-income uninsured and underinsured women between ages 50 and 64 can get free breast and cervical cancer screenings — and, potentially, eligibility for treatment — under a program offered by the Florida Department of Health at Pasco County. Women outside that age range who have a family history of breast cancer in first-degree relatives or who are symptomatic can also participate in the program. The Pasco County office also covers Hernando, Citrus and Sumter counties. Underinsured women are those who have some health insurance but are not covered for clinical breast exams, mammograms or PAP smears.
Participants need to be Florida residents who have a household income equal to or less than 200 percent of the poverty level, Christina Giron, community program manager for the agency, told the Suncoast News in a phone interview. That’s because once women are screened, those who need biopsies or other diagnostic services receive them through special funding, and then if they need treatment they are referred to Florida Medicaid to determine their eligibility. If women are not in Florida, the Medicaid won’t transfer.
“We’re able to pay for a clinical breast exam, a screening mammogram, a diagnostic mammogram, 3D mammograms and a breast ultrasound. We also pay for HPV testing,” Giron said. HPV, human papillomavirus, is the most common sexually transmitted disease and some strains can cause cervical cancer.t
Early detection of cancer can mean the difference between life and death, and the earlier treatment begins, the better the outcome. Therefore, the program wants to reach as many women as possible.
“Women can call the main program line at 727-619-0369, where we would go ahead and screen them through the phone just to make sure that they are eligible for the program,” Giron said. “Then we can either meet up with them, or we can mail it email them the application for them to complete and send to us. From there, we can send them to the health department, where they can get an appointment scheduled.
“We work with health departments in our four counties. We also work with federally qualified health centers such as Premier Community Health Care, which is available in Pasco and Hernando, and Langley Health Services in Citrus and Sumter. We work with the free clinics as well. They could go to any of those clinics for their well woman's exam, and the clinics can enroll them into the program. Then we can go ahead and process, and we'll create a voucher to send to the radiology facility we partner with in their county. We always take into account what's closest to. Then we notify them that they're good to schedule their appointment.” The whole process can take up to two weeks, Giron said.
Women can also apply online: Go to floridahealth.gov, link to Programs and Services and then link to Breast and Cervical Cancer Services.
Last year the program set a goal of screening 350 women and ended up serving 568. Of those, 15 had breast cancer, and all were able to access Medicaid for treatment, Giron said.
During October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, many radiologists offer discounted mammograms, Giron said, but if “that mammogram comes back abnormal, they kind of look for where do they go next. And especially because it could be expensive; it could cost anywhere up to $200 or $300 to get a follow-up mammogram after getting a $50 one. So I just really want to bring more awareness to the program, where we can screen you and there's funds reserved to go for follow-up. I think the worst feeling is feeling stuck. And then not having that peace of mind.”
