Jessamine County Health Department starting 'Start Here' campaign for women

The Jessamine County Health Department is launching a new campaign called “Start Here” to get more women to schedule breast cancer and cervical cancer screenings, regardless of their insurance levels. The new program, part of a larger state program known as the Kentucky Women’s Cancer Screening Program, is designed to target women in the “never or rarely screened” category, according to a press release from the health department.
Breast cancer screenings for women ages 40 to 64 and cervical cancer screenings for women ages 21-64 are now available through the health department to underinsured women at a discounted rate. If the initial screening is scheduled through the health department, the woman would also be eligible to receive additional assistance if screening results indicate future treatment is necessary.
“Women who are underinsured face huge financial challenges when it comes to annual cancer screenings, JCHD health educator Andrea Brown said in the release. “That’s why it is so important for us to get the message out that if they start here at the JCHD with the cancer screenings, we can follow them throughout the whole process and tear down the financial burden to ensure proper treatment if needed.”
The rate for each patient could be different and the price for the screening is adjusted based on a sliding scale that takes the woman’s income and household size into account, Brown said. The program at JCHD is only available to Jessamine County residents.
The health department does the initial testing, such as breast exams, Pap smears and patients being seen by a nurse practitioner. But the mammograms are done at Central Baptist Hospital in Brannon Crossing, Brown said. Central Baptist joined the health department as a partner for the project.
Any woman interested should call JCHD at 859-885-4149 or visit the department’s website at www.myjchd.org to see if she’s eligible and to set up an appointment.