Governor Ryan Announces Breast and Cervical Program Grants

SPRINGFIELD, IL - Governor George H. Ryan today announced grants totaling $6.3 million for a statewide program offering free or reduced-cost mammograms and other women's health care services.

"This funding provides health care resources for women who need help the most," Governor Ryan said. "Through these grants, we expect to serve 17,000 women this year who otherwise might not be able to afford breast and cervical cancer screening. These routine procedures can substantially improve a woman's chances of surviving life-threatening diseases."

The Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (IBCCP) began in 1995 in DuPage, Lake and Peoria counties and was expanded statewide by Governor Ryan in 1999. This year's funding allows IBCCP to fund two additional agencies - ACCESS Community Health Network in Chicago and Cook County and the Madison County Health Department- to better serve women in those areas. There are now 25 local health departments and health care agencies across the state who work with 900 local health care providers to deliver the program's services.

Administered by the Illinois Department of Public Health, the IBCCP is funded through a combination of state and federal funds -- $2 million from the state and $4.3 million from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The screening program targets women 35 to 64 years of age and older who have limited incomes and are either uninsured or underinsured. To be eligible, individuals must have an income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level: $17,720 a year for a single-person household. Screenings include clinical breast exams and mammograms (40 to 64 years) and pelvic exams and Pap smears (35 to 64 years of age).

Women diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer through IBCCP and who meet eligibility requirements can receive treatment benefits through the Medical Assistance Program administered by the Illinois Department of Public Aid. Since the treatment benefits first became available on July 1, 2001, about 250 women have received breast cancer treatment at little or no cost.

"This program has made it possible for women, who may not have been able to afford care for breast or cervical cancer, to receive not only diagnosis information but also treatment," said Dr. John R. Lumpkin, state public health director.

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime and more than 2,000 women in Illinois are expected to die this year from breast cancer. In addition, an average of 700 women a year in Illinois learn they have invasive cervical cancer and 230 die annually from the disease.

It is recommended that all women perform a monthly breast self-examination and receive an annual clinical breast examination; women 40 years of age and older also should have a yearly mammogram.

Women should check with their primary care provider about how frequently they should receive a Pap smear. Recommendations are based on clinical findings, history of risk factors and appropriate standards of care.

For information about obtaining a free screening through the program, individuals should contact the Illinois Department of Public Health at 888-522-1282 (voice) or 217-557-3326 (fax).

Below is a list of those receiving awards.

ACCESS Community Health Network $148,000

Adams County Health Department $148,000

Champaign-Urbana Public Health District $277,500

Chicago Department of Public Health $740,000

Cook County Department of Public Health $296,000

DuPage County Health Department $259,000

Fulton County Health Department $138,750

Kankakee County Health Department $222,000

Knox County Health Department $101,750

Lake County Health Department $370,000

LaSalle County Health Department $148,000

Livingston County Health Department $83,250

Logan County Health Department $370,000

Madison County Health Department $185,000

Montgomery County Health Department $240,500

Peoria City/County Health Department $203,500

Rock Island County Health Department $305,250

Sarah Bush Lincoln Hospital (Mattoon) $212,750

Southern Seven Health Department $120,250

St. Clair County Health Department $222,000

St. Mary's Good Samaritan Inc. (Centralia and Mount Vernon) $629,000

Stephenson County Health Department $222,000

Tazewell County Health Department $111,000

Visiting Nurse Association of Fox Valley (Aurora) $222,000

Winnebago County Health Department $305,250

TOTAL $6,280,750