Programs provide help for breast cancer
A diagnosis in January of aggressive breast cancer frightened Lynnette Schaller. The diagnosis came exactly one year after her last mammogram and at a time she was uninsured.
"I didn't know what I was going to do," Lynnette says. "I ended up at the Panhandle Health District with Gail, the woman who saved my life."
Gail Turley coordinates PHD's Family Planning department, which includes two programs that cover the cost of breast and cervical cancer screening and treatment for eligible women. Last year, PHD provided 447 women in the five northern counties with vouchers for mammograms through the Susan G. Komen for the Cure program and 660 women with breast and cervical cancer screening through the federally-funded Women's Health Check.
Women's Health Check provides services for women ages 50 to 64 with limited incomes and no health insurance or insurance with high deductibles or that doesn't cover mammograms. It also helps women ages 30 to 49 after a clinical exam and a health-care professional confirm a suspicion of cancer.
Unlike many women in Idaho, Lynnette was faithful to her annual mammogram. Idaho's breast cancer screening rates are the worst in the nation. More than a third of Idaho's women older than 39 haven't had a mammogram for at least two years. Health experts recommend a mammogram annually for women after their 40th birthday.
According to the American Cancer Society, 93 percent of people diagnosed with breast cancer during its earliest stage are still living five years later.
Lynnette's mother had breast cancer in 2010 at the age of 86. Her outcome was good and her experience raised Lynnette's awareness of the breast cancer risk. Lynnette knew it was time for her annual mammogram this year when she discovered a lump in her breast.
The federally-funded Dirne Community Health Center in Coeur d'Alene, where Lynnette was a patient, provided her with a voucher for a mammogram through the Women's Health Check program. The mammogram results weren't good. Radiologists wanted more tests right away.
Lynnette's health needs quickly overwhelmed her. She faced surgery to remove the lump, months of chemotherapy, then radiation. She had no way to pay for it and wouldn't be able to work for months. Then she received a phone call from Gail from the Women's Health Check program at PHD.
Gail met with Lynnette and signed her up for Medicaid through the Women's Health Check program. Medicaid covered the costs of Lynnette's surgery, six months of chemotherapy, three weeks of daily radiation treatments and the medication she takes now.
Lynnette remains in treatment, but her gratitude for the care she was given inspired her to raise $1,675 for the Komen Race for the Cure in Coeur d'Alene in September. Lynnette was the top fundraiser. She has offered to talk with and provide support for women who arrive at PHD with new diagnoses of breast cancer.
"I want them to know help is there," she says. "Don't hold off and don't be scared."
Income eligibility guidelines for Women's Health Check and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure programs are under the program names on PHD's website - www.phd1.idaho.gov. If you have questions, call Gail Turley at 415-5293.
Cynthia Taggart is the public information officer for the Panhandle Health District. She can be reached at ctaggart@phd1.idaho.gov.