Free or Low-Cost Women’s Health Screenings Offered March 15 in St. Francis County, Thanks to UAMS Witness Project

By todd

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LITTLE ROCK – Free or low-cost mammograms, breast examinations and Pap tests are available March 15 to St. Francis County women 40 and older who qualify through The Witness Project, a community-based cancer education program of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Public Health.


 


Women in St. Francis County who want to receive the screenings should call (800) 275-1183 to see if they qualify through the BreastCare program, Medicare or Medicaid. Preregistration is required.


 


The St. Bernards Healthcare mobile mammography unit will be at the Rising Sun M.B. Church, 1940 W. Broadway, in Forrest City, from 9 a.m.-2:45 p.m. March 15.


 


The Witness Project promotes cancer awareness among African-American women and medically underserved women. African-American women who are breast or cervical cancer survivors serve as role models and “witness” at churches and civic groups about their triumphs over cancer. Through this program, more women – particularly in the rural parts of Arkansas – are becoming better informed about early detection in the fight against breast and cervical cancer.


 


UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a medical center, five centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has about 2,320 students and 690 residents and is one of the state’s largest public employers with almost 9,000 employees. UAMS and its affiliates have an economic impact in Arkansas of $4.3 billion a year. UAMS centers of excellence are the Arkansas Cancer Research Center, Harvey and Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy and Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute.