Kansas Breast And Cervical Cancer Screening Program For Low-Income, Uninsured Women Runs Out Of Funding

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Cervical Cancer / HPV Vaccine;  Public Health;  Breast Cancer
Article Date: 07 May 2008 - 7:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

The Kansas Early Detection Works program, which provides uninsured low-income women in the state with breast and cervical cancer screenings at no cost, has depleted its operating funds and will delay almost all cancer screenings until July 1, the Wichita Eagle reports. Janet Neff, director of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said the program has received about $2.3 million annually in recent years from CDC. The program also receives some funding from the state and the Mid-Kansas affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.

The screening program depleted its funds in March. However, program officials reserved a limited amount of funding to provide diagnostic tests until the new fiscal year begins on July 1 to women who display symptoms of breast or cervical cancer. Women who inquire about the program will be placed on a waiting list and will be screened when funding becomes available. Kansas women ages 40 to 64 who are uninsured and meet income guidelines are eligible for the program. According to Neff, about 5,800 of the at least 27,000 women in Kansas who qualify to receive no-cost screenings have done so since July 1, 2007.

Neff said she requested slightly more than $2.3 million in federal funds for FY 2009 (Shideler, Wichita Eagle, 5/5).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

© 2008 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

• Additional
• References
• Citations