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Posted by Betsy Mullen on 5/21/2002 from 68.7.83.138:

In reply to: Looking for Free Mamograms in Houston Tx posted by Dorys on 5/14/2002 from 64.152.246.94:

Dear Dorys

I am glad that you posted your message. Please know that WIN Against Breast Cancer is here to help you in any way that we can.

If you have not done so already, I encourage you to contact our office directly, toll-free at 866-2-WIN ABC so that we can best assist you. I also hope that if you have not yet filled out the Personal Profile form at the top of this page, that you do so, so that we can best meet your needs.

Our organization has some great patient educational materials and resources that we will be happy to send to you, free of charge, including WIN ABC’s comprehensive Resource Guide and as Renee mentioned in her response, a series of audiotapes entitled "Finding Ways to Pay for Care”.

The following resources have been taken directly from WIN Against Breast Cancer’s web site (that’s here) at www.winabc.org. If you do not live in the United States, please let us know so that we can investigate other resources for you.

I have included information below regarding free screening and treatment programs. Please also note the link that I have established at the bottom of this message which will direct you to the Centers for Disease Control’s web page on free breast and cervical cancer screening services for women in need who qualify, including mammograms.

Low & No-cost Screening & Treatment Services

The following information has been taken directly from the CDC’s web site:

Here is a link to the state of Texas Breast & Cervical Cancer Control Program (I have established a direct link to this site at the bottom of this message):

http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/contacts/states-territories/tx.htm



Texas

* Program Contact
* Public Education Contact
* About the Program

Contact your local breast and cervical cancer program to find out where you can get a free or low-cost mammogram and Pap test. Age and income requirements vary.

Enrollment Number
1 (800) 452-1955 (outside of state)
1 (512) 458-7644 (in-state)

Links to non-Federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links.




Program Contact

Rosamaria Murillo, MSW
Division Director
Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program
Texas Department of Health
1100 West 49th Street
General Building, Room G407
Austin, TX 78756-3199

(512) 458-7644
Fax (512)458-7650
rosamaria.murillo@tdh.state.tx.us

Public Education Contact

Karen McAnarney, RN, BSN
Nurse Consultant
Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program
Texas Department of Health
Bureau of Disease and Injury Prevention
1100 West 49th Street
General Building, Room G407
Austin, TX 78756-3199

(512) 458-7644
Fax (512) 458-7650
karen.mcanarney@tdh.state.tx.us

About the Program

CDC funding for a capacity-building program for breast and cervical cancer early detection began in 1991.

Texas Cancer Burden Data (PDF-24K)*

Texas Legislative Information
Results from the DCPC Searchable Database:

* Breast Cancer
* Cervical Cancer

Texas Mammography and Pap Smear Prevalence Data
The CDC Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System offers data on various questions and concerns associated with breast and cervical cancer behavior risks.

*These documents are available in Portable Document Format (PDF). You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these files.



Guidance and Summary of Actions on the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act of 2000
About the Act

On October 24th, 2000, President William Clinton signed into law the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-354 (PDF-115K)*). This Act gives states the option to provide medical assistance through Medicaid to eligible women who were screened for and found to have breast or cervical cancer, including precancerous conditions, through the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP).

NBCCEDP, which is administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), provides free breast and cervical cancer screening and follow-up diagnostic services to women in need, such as those who are uninsured or have low incomes. In 2000, CDC began its 10th year of this landmark program, supporting early detection programs in all 50 states, 6 U.S. territories, the District of Columbia, and 12 American Indian and Alaska Native organizations.

National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP):

http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/...index.htm

Provides critical breast and cervical cancer screening services to underserved women, including older women, women with low incomes, and women of racial and ethnic minority groups.

Funded comprehensive early detection programs provide:
1. Breast and cervical cancer screening services to women who are low income and/or racial/ethnic minorities.

2. Appropriate referrals, and when necessary, appropriate diagnostic follow-up, case management and assurances for medical treatment.

3. Public information and education programs to increase the use of screening services.

4. Education to health professionals to improve the screening process.

5. Mechanisms to monitor the quality of the screening process.

6. Appropriate surveillance and epidemiological systems.

7. Linkages with key partnerships. CDC funds all 50 state health agencies, the District of Columbia, 15 tribal organizations, and 5 territories to conduct comprehensive breast and cervical cancer early detection programs.

CDC Links Page: http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/linksalt.htm

Comprehensive Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program

Also known as the Breast and Cervical Cancer Initiative (BCCI), this program involves a broad array of services supported through state and federal funds. Activities have focused on surveillance, quality assurance, professional training, community outreach and educational efforts and delivery of health services issues.

The following activities are part of the program:

37 Community Education, Outreach, Health Services and Screening Programs; Breast and Cervical Cancer Statewide Plan; Statewide public information campaign; Professional education for nurses, radiology technologists, physicians, elder network service providers and other health care providers; Statewide and regional outreach education programs for communities of color, elder networks and other hard-to-reach populations; Program evaluation and surveillance; and Collaboration with statewide partnerships and coalitions.

Division of Community Health Promotion
Women's Health Unit

The Women's Health Unit provides services designed to decrease morbidity and mortality and to promote knowledge and well-being among women. The Unit places particular emphasis on developing services for low-income women, women of color, and refugee and immigrant women. Health issues are approached within the context of the realities of women's lives including economic factors, occupational issues, racial and cultural diversity, and family responsibilities.

The Unit strives to develop culturally and linguistically-appropriate services for women who have historically faced barriers to health care, focusing on the development of models that empower women through health education and self-help.

Division of Cancer Prevention and Control (DCPC):

http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/
http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/law106-354.htm

"Part of the CDC's National Center For Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, implementing programs for the nation. DCPC focuses its cancer prevention and control resources in six priority areas: The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, The National Program of Cancer Registries, Skin Cancer Primary Prevention and Education Initiatives, the Prostate Cancer Control Initiative, Colorectal Cancer Control Initiative and the National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program."


Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU):
http://www.clinicians.org/

"For those clinicians who devote all or part of their practice to health care for underserved populations, delivering the highest quality of care is dependent on a firm understanding of the population they are serving and that population's needs. The ACU seeks to address the issues of access to and the quality of health care to these populations by: Enhancing the support these clinicians receive, Providing increased access to information relevant to their practices, Providing increased opportunities for them to interact and communicate with their colleagues, Increasing the understanding of this field of practice by promoting research, and Increasing the opportunities for education and training relevant to providing health care to underserved and vulnerable populations."

The link below is the full description about Medicaid benefits and drug reimbursement programs. There are many requirements in order for the patient to qualify.

Details about this Medicaid option are available a
www.hcfa.gov/medicaid/bccpt

This link was provided from a news release about Medicaid.
Headline: HHS APPROVES 13 NEW STATE PLANS TO EXTEND MEDICAID COVERAGE TO WOMEN WITH BREAST, CERVICAL CANCER

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today approved 13 new states' requests to extend Medicaid benefits to uninsured women who are diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer through a federal screening program.
Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Hawaii, Nebraska, Maine, Michigan, Vermont and Wyoming are the most recent states to take advantage of the federal Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act of 2000, which allowed states to expand Medicaid coverage to these women who otherwise would not have health coverage. In the year since the law's enactment, HHS has approved this expanded Medicaid eligibility in 32 states.

"These expansions offer help, hope and health care to women who otherwise would receive only a diagnosis that may sound like a death sentence," Secretary Thompson said. "With these approvals, women who had no health coverage can now get immediate access to life-saving treatment through Medicaid."

Under the new law, states can extend the full Medicaid benefit package to women who were screened through the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and found to need treatment for breast or cervical cancer.

Since the CDC program began in 1990, more than 3 million breast and cervical cancer screening tests have been provided to more than 1.8 million women.

To qualify for Medicaid coverage under the program, women must be under age 65, not eligible for Medicaid and without creditable health care coverage.

Under the law, these women may now be eligible for Medicaid benefits for the duration of their cancer treatment. States that choose to extend Medicaid benefits to women under this new option will receive a federal match of up to 85 percent of the costs of treatment.

Details about this Medicaid option are available at
www.hcfa.gov/medicaid/bccpt .

Information about the CDC screening program is at
www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/index.htm


Many pharmaceutical companies have assistance programs to help with the cost of medications. Please visit the following website for more information on pharmaceutical companies’ patient assistance programs:

http://www.needymeds.com/


AN IMPORTANT REMINDER: It is very difficult to render an opinion without knowing all the facts of any one particular case. But one strong recommendation we would like to make is that patients pursue their question(s) with their own physicians. You should feel fully empowered to obtain a satisfactory answer and feel free to seek a second or third opinion. We have some great tips on partnering with your health care team and key questions to ask your doctors about breast health, communication tips and informed decision-making tips to help you get the information that they need.

I am holding you in my thoughts and look forward to hearing from you with an update on how you are doing and how WIN ABC can best be of help and support to you.

Again, I encourage you to fill out the Personal Profile form at the top of this message board and to contact us directly.

My warmest personal regards,
Betsy

Elizabeth ("Betsy") Mullen
Founder, President/CEO
WIN Against Breast Cancer
Main Office:
536 S. Second Avenue, Suite K
Covina, California 91723
Telephone: 626-332-2255 Fax: 626-332-2585
San Diego Office:
Telephone: (619) 284-4900 Fax: (619) 284-7900
Web Site: www.winabc.org
Toll-free: 866-2 WIN

• Texas Breast & Cervical Cancer Control Program

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