The Issues
More than 25 percent of American women are delaying or forgoing medical care because of costs, and one in seven say they are skipping doses of medicine or taking smaller doses to make their medicines last longer. Texas continues to have one of the highest uninsured rates in the nation. Many women go without health insurance for some period each year.
Through early detection and expanded treatment options, a woman's chance of surviving cancer is greater than ever – nearly 100 percent for breast cancer. Despite this, mammography tests reported by women fell significantly between 2001 and 2004.
Without access to screenings and diagnostic services, an uninsured woman's diagnosis often comes later and at the expense of treatment options and survival rates. These factors significantly increase the comprehensive costs of cancer to society and all too often cause unnecessary death.
Program Profile
The Alliance for Women & Children offers a Women's Health Awareness program that tackles a focused and essential part of America's health care crisis by providing free mammograms, pap tests, diagnostics and case management services to uninsured and underinsured women. It is the only no-cost, comprehensive approach to preventative women’s health care in the Big Country area. Without means of access to screenings and diagnostics, many of these women would otherwise be at-risk for late detection and diagnosis – limiting treatment options and survival rates.
Outreach is focused on medically underserved women in a 23 county area of West Central Texas. To qualify for services, women must meet residency, income, age, insurance and health guidelines. To accommodate the diverse community, all health education and information is made available in English and Spanish.
The Women's Health Awareness program is a BCCCP provider which means that those diagnosed through this program with invasive cancer qualify for the "Medical Treatment Act" passed by the Texas Legislature in 2001. This provides immediate coverage for treatment through Medicaid. Women’s Health is the only BCCCP provider in West Central Texas; therefore, those diagnosed with breast cancer but not on our program are unable to access immediate treatment under Medicaid.
Community Outreach
As part of the Women's Health focus, the Alliance for Women and Children participates in a variety of community outreach activities throughout the year: health fairs, health education classes and other events. We also host the African-American Task Force (AATF). This group reaches African-American women regarding the need for education in health matters and healthy lifestyles. Through outreach activities such as these, the Women's Health program reaches hundreds of individuals each year.
Impact:
In 2006, the Alliance for Women & Children provided more than 1,100 mammograms and served more than 1,200 women through the Women's Health program.
Demographics:
| Ages |
Gender |
Ethnicity |
| <39: 14% |
Female: 100% |
African American: 6% |
| 40-49: 40% |
|
Caucasian: 47% |
| >50: 46% |
|
Hispanic: 46% |
|
|
Other: 1% |
