Mammograms screenings for uninsured or underinsured women in the Ozarks are available through a recent partnership.
The Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks (BCFO) has contracted with Texas County Memorial Hospital to pay for qualified mammograms at the county hospital. Interested recipients must complete the mammography program application from BCFO. The application is available on the foundation’s website or through the TCMH radiology department.
BCFO requires applications to reside in southwest Missouri or in the Joplin/four state area. Applicants must not have insurance, or they must have health insurance that does not cover the screening mammogram. Women on Medicaid and with Medicare Part B are not eligible for the program.
Women with the greatest financial need are given preference, but income for each applicant is considered.
To ensure that a screening mammogram is appropriate, the applicant must have had a recent clinical breast exam. If the cost for a clinical breast exam is a barrier, BCFO can help interested applicants get a free clinical breast exam.
The American Cancer Society recommends yearly screening mammograms for all women, beginning at age 40. However, if a woman has a strong history of breast cancer in her family and her healthcare provider recommends a mammogram at an earlier age, she is eligible to apply for assistance, too.
Women that receive a mammogram through the BCFO program are eligible to re-apply for assistance annually and may receive assistance annually as long as the applicant’s financial status does not change.
TCMH is one of 13 hospitals in the Ozarks that participate in the free screening mammogram program. BCFO provides services to women in 31 counties in the Ozarks. In 2012, 547 women received coverage for screening mammograms through BCFO.
“We are pleased to be able to partner with the Breast Cancer Foundation to offer this important service in Texas County,” said Wes Murray, chief executive officer.
TCMH provides mammography services Monday through Friday at the hospital. Early appointments are possible for women that need to schedule their mammogram before going to work, and arrangements for early appointments should be made in advance.
The radiology department is adding a digital mammography unit in 2013 when the department moves into a radiology suite in the new construction at TCMH.
For additional information or a mammography program application visit the BCFO website at www.bcfo.org/free-screening-mammography/