PROJECT WOMAN COALITION: CELEBRATES MILESTONE
OKLAHOMA CITY – After eighteen years of hard work and dedication, Project Woman Coalition has completed a large part of its founding mission. Since its inception in 1989, the organization has provided low-income, uninsured Oklahoma women access to breast cancer screening, diagnostic and treatment services. The organization also advocated for state funding to provide treatment and expand screening services; and this message has been heard loud and clear, especially by Oklahoma lawmakers.
Beginning April 1, Take Charge! the state-funded breast and cervical cancer early detection program administered by the Oklahoma State Department of Health, will provide mammograms to women with a household income of up to 185 percent above the poverty level and to individuals as young as 40.
“We are very pleased that the Oklahoma legislature has provided funding to expand Take Charge’s capacity to provide breast screening services for most low-income, uninsured women,” said Pam Scott, Project Woman Coalition executive director. “ This shows that our state officials are taking steps to make sure Oklahoma is a healthy, breast cancer-free state.”
Although Project Woman Coalition will no longer be providing free mammograms for low-income, uninsured women, its members and volunteers will continue to educate Oklahomans about the importance of breast health. The organization has made a tremendous impact on the breast health of women throughout central Oklahoma and hopes to continue to do so in the future.
“When we founded Project Woman Coalition, our goal was to increase breast cancer awareness and to provide low-cost and no-cost mammography to women,” said Debbie Clark, co-founder of Project Woman Coalition. “Project Woman has done just that. Last year alone, we provided over 2,600 screening procedures to women living in Central Oklahoma.”
Services and programs provided by Project Woman Coalition have been provided thanks to the generous support of private donors as well as grants from both the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Avon Foundation.
To find out more about the Take Charge! program visit www.health.state.ok.us/program/cds/breastcervical.html.