November 28, 2012                                                                                          

Contact:  Nancy Braden
Public Health Communications, 303-239-7137
 

JCPH Closing its Women’s Wellness Connection Breast Cancer Screening Services
Services are Still Available through Community Providers

Jefferson County, Colorado— Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) announced today that it will no longer be offering breast and cervical cancer screenings to women ages 40 through 64 through the Women’s Wellness Connection (WWC) program. Services will still be available through community providers and JCPH is working to assist uninsured and underinsured women previously enrolled in the program to continue receiving these life-saving screenings. Kelly Conroy, JCPH Clinic Supervisor says, “Since 1992, Jefferson County Public Health has screened thousands of underinsured and uninsured women ages 40 and over for breast and cervical cancers and referred them to appropriate care as needed. Now, these women will still get their screenings, but will also be connected to community providers that can assist them with other medical needs or concerns.”  

The “medical home” model is being promoted by public health and others in the health care system as providing accessible, continuous, comprehensive, family-centered, coordinated, compassionate, and culturally effective care.  “We have found that women over 40 seeking services through WWC often have other health conditions that public health preventive services are not able to comprehensively address. Connecting these women to community health care providers is important for their overall health,” says Conroy.  Younger women will still be seen at JCPH’s clinics through its Family Planning Program and will be referred out for mammograms as needed.

The change in services offered by JCPH does not change the fact that routine breast and cervical screenings are the best ways to find cancer early, and that nearly 100% of women who find breast or cervical cancer early will survive it. 

JCPH urges all women ages 40-64 to get breast and cervical screenings and to get connected to one of the community providers offering these services by calling 1-866-951-WELL (9355).  Women may also access referral services by visiting, www.womenswellnessconnection.org .

In addition, the table below lists other community options for breast screenings for uninsured or underinsured women in Jefferson County:

List of Women’s Wellness Connection Providers in, or near, Jefferson County

                          Effective May 2012