Weld County, Colorado – The Weld County Health Department now offers free cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services to women aged 21 through 64. “Many forms of cancer are preventable if women get screened early,” said Mark E. Wallace, MD, MPH, Executive Director of the Weld County Health Department. “This expansion of screening services will help many young women who least can afford it.”
Eligibility for the screening services previously began at age 40. The Women’s Wellness Connection, a program administered by the State Health Department, is expanding eligibility to include younger women who may not have the income or insurance coverage to pay for these important screening services. To qualify for these free services, a woman must earn less than 250 percent of the federal poverty line (for example, a single woman with no dependents, and makes less than $29,700; or a woman in a household with 4 family members and total income of less than $60,750), be in the United States legally, and have no health insurance or have health insurance with high deductibles or co-pays.
Women are eligible for a number of diagnostic procedures. If a woman enrolled in the Women’s Wellness Connection is diagnosed with cancer, most will qualify for treatment through Health First Colorado’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Program. The Weld County Health Department also offers free breast cancer screening for women ages 40 to 64 who meet the same eligibility requirements.
Every year in the United States, approximately 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and about 4,000 women die of the disease. Latinas and African-American women are at higher risk for developing and dying from cervical cancer. The Women’s Wellness Connection provides free breast and cervical cancer screenings to eligible women at more than 120 locations. It is important to recognize during Cervical Health Awareness Month that screening saves lives.
For more information about the Women’s Wellness Connection program at the Weld County Health Department, visit weldhealth.org or contact Samantha Wittrock, Community Health Outreach Worker, at (970) 400-2400 or swittrock@weldgov.com
