CFHC signs onto Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program

December 2007

Chicago Family Health Center is one of three new health agencies to join the Illinois Breast and Cervical Program Network. The newly expanded Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (IBCCP) gives every uninsured women in the state, regardless of income, access to free breast and cervical cancer screenings and treatment. Since the program was expanded to all uninsured women in October, more than 3,500 women have signed up to get life-saving screenings and treatment — an increase of 121 percent over the same period last year.

”Breast and cervical cancer take the lives of thousands of our mothers, sisters and daughters every year. Early detection is key to saving lives. That’s why we expanded the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program: to make sure every woman in our state is able to get the screening and treatment she needs to stay healthy,“ said Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Beginning Oct. 1, 2007, Governor Blagojevich expanded the IBCCP, making Illinois the first state in the nation to provide access to all uninsured women who need screening and treatment and making more than 260,000 more women eligible for the program. All uninsured women between the ages of 40 and 64 now qualify for mammograms and breast exams, and uninsured women between 35 and 64 now qualify for pelvic exams and Pap tests. On a case-by-case basis, younger, symptomatic women who meet the guidelines are considered for the program. The screening program is free.

”On behalf of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Chicagoland Affiliate, and the many women in the State of Illinois, and as a breast cancer survivor who works with breast cancer patients at Alexian Brothers Cancer Institute, I am thrilled Governor Blagojevich has put women’s health on the front burner and is helping to make Illinois a leader in the fight against breast cancer. The governor has now made screening available to ALL women, but his efforts will be for nothing if we as women do not take charge and take responsibility for our own health by going in for our recommended screenings,“ said Debbie Williams, RN, Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Due to the success of the expansion, three new health agencies have agreed to join the IBCCP starting on Jan. 1, 2008. The agencies that have joined the state’s efforts to increase access to the new program are PCC Community Wellness Center in Oak Park, Chicago Family Health Center in Chicago, and Howard Brown Health Center in Chicago. These agencies will help coordinate the program’s free screenings and treatment for thousands of Illinois women, especially in communities that need it. Six more health agencies are expected to join before the end of the year.

Since the expansion was announced on Oct. 1, more than 3,500 women have signed up for services through the program. This represents an increase of 121 percent over the same time last year. Since Governor Blagojevich took office in 2003, more than 109,000 breast and cervical cancer screenings for more than 53,000 women have been performed through the IBCCP. Since the program’s inception in 1995, more than 183,000 screenings have been performed.

The most recent statistics show 8,604 women in Illinois were diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer in 2003. That same year, 2,057 women in Illinois died from breast or cervical cancer. It is estimated that almost 9,000 women will be diagnosed with either breast or cervical cancer this year, and approximately 1,700 will die. But when breast cancer is diagnosed early, the five-year survival rate is 98 percent.

”Although there has been significant progress in breast cancer survival due to early detection screening and new treatment advances, thousands of women in Illinois were not able to benefit from these advances because they did not have access to care, or were unaware of the resources available,“ said Adrienne White, Vice President, Health Initiative and Advocacy, American Cancer Society-Illinois. ”Thanks to the expansion of IBCCP to include coverage for all uninsured women in Illinois, we are hopeful that one of the largest obstacles to care has now been removed. We encourage women to empower themselves to get their mammograms annually, and have cervical screenings regularly. If we embrace the concept of NO EXCUSES, we can make begin to end breast cancer disparities, and significantly reduce breast and cervical cancer mortality in Illinois.“