MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – More than 400 women in Dane County are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, but local health officials are helping women catch the disease early by connecting them with free screenings.
The ‘Wisconsin Well Woman’ program connects eligible women with local clinics that provide breast exams, mammograms and other diagnostic tests for free, according to Public Health Madison & Dane County.
You may be eligible for the program if you don’t have insurance or have insurance with a high deductible and have an income at or below 250% of federal poverty guidelines.
After calling PHMDC, prospective patients then complete an application process through mail, email or text message.
“Once we process that we’ll make sure that the local clinics we partner with that do the actual mammograms and breast cancer screenings and cervical screenings have your enrollment information and make sure we pay for your visit,” Bilingual Well Woman Specialist Sarah Wanek said. “So you don’t have any costs associated with going to your visits, and so all you need to do is give us a call.”
Health officials say the earlier you detect cancer, the easier it is to treat.
“It’s important because every year about 425 women in Dane county are diagnosed with breast cancer, and across the United States, about one in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime,” Wanek said. “So we encourage the education, the prevention because the earlier you detect cancer the easier it is to treat and the better chance at survival.”
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, but Wanek said checking for breast cancer is important any time of year.
“Generally speaking, everyone’s recommended to have a mammogram every year, every other year and we pay for it completely,” Wanek said. “So we encourage everyone, that especially if they have been putting it off, and maybe have someone they know that’s been affected by breast cancer, that you put your health first and you get screened.”
PHMDC said they’ve seen a 20% increase in women enrolling in the program in the last five years, with more than 900 enrolled in Dane and Rock counties alone.
If you want to enroll in the program, you can call 608-242-6385.
To find specific information for your county, visit the Wisconsin Department of Health Services website HERE: Well Woman Program: County Contacts | Wisconsin Department of Health Services
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