Help is available for uninsured women who are in need of breast cancer and cervical cancer screenings.

    With federal and state funds, the Mississippi Department of Health is offering mammograms, which are used to detect breast cancer, and pap test screening, which detects the presence of cervical cancer in women. MSDH is reminding women of this service during October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

    Pap screenings are taking place at community health centers, health department clinics, and private providers to uninsured women.

    For pap screening, testing will be available to uninsured women between the ages of 40 and 64.

    Mammography screening is available through contracted providers for uninsured women between the ages of 50 and 65. Women 40 to 49 are eligible for screening mammograms when special funding is available. Special exceptions are available for those women between the ages of 18 and 39, but they must receive prior approval.

    This is part of the Department of Health’s recognition of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time set aside each year to remind women of the risk of breast cancer and the preventive steps they can take.

    Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women, and the second leading killer of women in the United States. In 2010, 432 Mississippi women died of breast cancer, an increase from 419 deaths in 2009.

    While breast cancer can strike anyone, some people are more likely to be diagnosed with the disease than others. Women who have a family history of breast cancer, older women, women who drink, who have had a previous breast cancer diagnosis, overweight women and women who live sedentary lifestyles are more at risk of developing breast cancer.

    Women can lower their risk of developing breast cancer by exercising, eating a healthy diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in fats, minimizing alcohol consumption and adhering to recommended screening intervals.

    Detecting breast cancer early is especially important. The sooner the cancer is detected and treated, the more effective treatment can be. Performing a self-examination of the breasts is a good way to detect lumps and other abnormalities. There are other steps to take as well. Women in their 20s and 30s should have a clinical breast exam every three years, according to the MSDH. Starting at age 40, women should have a mammogram every year.

    The MSDH Breast and Cervical Cancer Program strives for early detection of cancer among those women at the highest risk, typically uninsured, medically under served, minority and elderly women. These women are more likely to have advanced disease when symptoms appear, reflecting differences in access to screening and care.