SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News)– The Onondaga County Health Department offers free breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screenings. This service was designed for individuals without health insurance. Eligible women ages 40 and older get access to breast exams, mammograms, pelvic exams, pap and HPV tests.
Public Health Educator of the Cancer Services Program (CSP), Kara Verbanic helps manage new and returning applicants.
“People without health insurance often delay thier screenings,” Verbanic said. “So, it’s really important to give us a call at 315-435-3653, if you do not have health insurance and we can get you set up for screenings.”
Verbanic said the program is also open to people who have health insurance.
“With those people, we’ll sign them up for our program…We do the consent form and we also have an insurance consent form,” Verbanic said. “Basically, they will go through and get all of their screenings done and then the insurance will cover the cost of what they are going to cover. Once they get the explanation of benefits, that comes over to us and then, we will help provide the coverage.”
According to the N.Y.State Department of Health, over 16,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and over 2,000 women die from the disease.
Experts report, roughly one in eight women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime and men are also susceptible.
The County’s Cancer Services Program also provides home stool kits and screening colonoscopy screenings for men and women ages 50 and older.
Matthew Ryan, a native of Long Island said he doesn’t know much about the risks associated with men and breast cancer, but prostate cancer runs in his family.
“It doesn’t really get talked about,” Ryan said. “I never spoke about it with my dad, but it was sort of like mentioned once that I might have to get screened earlier than most men because that might be genetic.”
Ryan said he had no idea free cancer screenings were available to some people, who qualify.
“It’s never been something that I looked into too seriously just because specifically me, having to look into it earlier, I never figured out how early I have to look into it,” Ryan said. “So maybe, that’s something I definitely should look into.”
According to the National Cancer Institute, a family history of some cancers can be a sign of inherited cancer syndrome.
Ryan said both men and women in his family have been negatively impacted by the disease.
“My grandmother died of lung cancer when I was like 4 years old,” Ryan said. “That was from smoking, pretty much a life-long addiction…that’s what actually got my mom to quit smoking, which I’m very thankful for.”
Research professionals from the National Cancer Institute encourage people to control risk factors like alcohol, diet, tobacco, radiation and sunlight to minimize the chance of developing certain cancers.
C-P-S is accepting registration forms from men and women interested in FREE cancer screenings on an on-going basis. Anyone interested, can visit ongov.net or call 315-435-3653.
