Uninsured women ages 40 and up can get free breast cancer screenings from UCD in October
Sacramento-based UC Davis Health is offering free mammogram screenings to uninsured women ages 40 and over in recognition of October’s designation as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
“About a quarter of all breast cancer deaths could be avoided through early detection such as regular mammography, but screening rates are very low among uninsured populations,” said Kami Gosal, the breast imaging supervisor at UC Davis Health.
Want to schedule an appointment? Call 916-734-6145 and ask about the free screenings being offered on select Saturdays in October. Note that this particular type of mammogram is for women who do not have any symptoms.
Megan Klink, regional vice president-west for Susan G. Komen California, said this effort addresses “more than one barrier to screening – lack of insurance, limited screening services on Saturdays (access) and language. Even the ability to call for an appointment instead of having to use other technology to register or make an appointment is an asset.”
If this service does not address your needs, Klink said, contact Komen California to see if your needs can be addressed. Call 877-465-6636 or email helpline@komen.org.
Many women have put off their annual mammograms amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but medical experts are urging them to take the time to get screened. In September, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.), noted that she was among those women who had done so.
When Klobuchar went in February to get her screening, doctors told her they had found microscopic white spots called calcifications on her images. These micro-calcifications are common and do not always indicate cancer.
“After a number of other tests, I returned to Mayo (Clinic) and had a lumpectomy on the right breast which involved the removal of the cancer,” Klobuchar said. “In May, I completed a course of radiation treatment, and after additional follow-up visits, it was determined in August that the treatment went well.”
Fortunately, Klobuchar said, her mammogram helped to detect the abnormality at an early stage, and she urged women to go in for their mammograms.
The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be 30,730 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed in California this year. While overall mortality rates have improved by more than 30% in the past 50 years, the organization noted, Black women are nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer and 40% more likely to die from the disease than are White women.
