Public Health Madison & Dane County (PHMDC) encourages women, particularly women of color, to take steps to be screened for breast cancer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
“While African American women have similar incidence rates to white women, they’re about 40% more likely to die from breast cancer and are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer at a later stage of the disease when treatment options are limited, it is more costly, and the prognosis is poor. That’s why it’s so important for women of color to be screened regularly,” says Kari Sievert, Program Coordinator for the PHMDC Wisconsin Well Woman Program, in a press release today
The Wisconsin Well Woman Program (WWWP), a statewide program, provides free breast cancer screenings – including free breast exams, mammograms, and other diagnostic tests – for women with limited income and little or no insurance.
“Breast cancer screening is important because when breast cancer is found early, there are more treatment options and many women, once treated, remain cancer-free,” says Sievert in a statement. “We can enroll women in the Well Woman Program quickly and easily over the phone.”
Once enrolled in the program, women can get exams at more than 35 clinics in Dane and Rock Counties. Women can call (608) 242-6392 to enroll. Women who live outside Dane and Rock Counties should call 1-800-722-2295 to enroll or visit https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/wwwp.
The East Madison Community Center (EMCC) will be hosting African-American Women’s Breast Cancer Awareness Brunch on Saturday, Oct. 5, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.. The event will feature a speaker from the UW Health Disparities Initiative as well as two women sharing their breast cancer journeys. For more information, call or text (608) 516-8317.
