Don't Skip Lifesaving Breast Cancer Screenings In FL

Press release from Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County:

September 29 2020

Women who are uninsured may not be getting the mammograms and clinical breast examinations that are part of the early detection of breast cancer. If they are between the ages of 50 and 64, there's help available via the Florida Department of Health's Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program(BCCP) that offers free or low-cost screenings for those who are eligible.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a reminder to schedule mammography and other lifesaving screenings. The Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County (DOH-Pinellas), through its BCCP, provides no-cost breast/cervical cancer screening exams, including mammograms; Pap tests; pelvic exams and clinical breast exams to low-income women who are 50 to 64 years of age andare either uninsured or under-insured.

Early detection of cancer is key in diagnosing and treating it. The American Cancer Society provides information on breast cancer screenings, including mammograms, here https://www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer/screening-tests-and-early-detection.html/

The DOH-Pinellas BCCP application is online athttp://pinellas.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/clinical-and-nutrition-services/bccp/index.html.Women without internet access can call (727) 824-6917 to have an enrollment package sent by mail. Women who have received a mammogram elsewhere in the past year are not eligible and must wait a full year before applying again.

The BCCP is funded by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through the DOH.

For information about DOH-Pinellas, go to www.PinellasHealth.com or call (727)824-6900. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Nextdoor for the latest agency updates

This press release was produced by the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County. The views expressed here are the author’s own.