Women headed to Sacramento to rail against cuts to cancer program

Feb 7, 2010 — San Bernardino County Sun

Jim Steinberg

Feb. 7, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Women's health advocates, health care professionals, breast cancer survivors and consumers will be in Sacramento on Mondayto discuss and protest cuts to the statewide "Every Woman Counts!" program, which provided free mammograms to underserved women.

On Jan. 1, the state suspended free mammography screening for new patients until July. And when services are reinstated, the program will no longer screen women ages 40 to 49.

The Assembly Budget Committee will meet Monday to find out why revenues are falling on Proposition 99 tobacco tax revenues, which funds the program, said Assembly member Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, committee chairwoman.

Of particular concern is whether there will be funding to resume the mammography screening on July 1, she said.

"Too much of the state's cuts has been on the backs of women and children," she said.

While the reductions to this program do not directly save state revenues, they will ultimately increase costs for Medi-Cal as cancers are found at a more advanced stage, Evans said.

Dr. Sharon Lum, a surgical oncologist and medical director of the Breast Health Center at the Loma Linda University Cancer Institute, said the six-month time lag means cancers will be found at more advanced levels.

Cancer tumors can double in size every six weeks to every six months, depending on the type of cancer, Lum said.

In the San Bernardino/Riverside county region, prices for mammograms range from $138 to $420, said Tammi Graham, interim

clinic operations manager for the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health.

Top officials of Dallas-based Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world's largest network of breast cancer patients, are concerned that cuts to the screening program in California will become a national trend as revenue-challenged states seek ways to cut costs, said Katie Parker, executive director of The Komen group's Inland Empire affiliate in Temecula.

About 300,000 women statewide were served under the program during its last full year of operations.

Low-income women in at least 20 states are being turned away or put on long waiting lists for free cancer screenings, according to the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network.

During this Jan. 1 to July 1 period, the "Every Woman Counts" program will continue to offer screenings for cervical cancer, said Graham, who manages the program for the San Bernardino County Health Department.

Among the priorities of the Assembly Budget Committee hearing is to learn about the ramifications of the decision to limit mammography screenings to women age 50 and older after July 1.

Last year, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force, a group of experts that makes recommendations on policies to prevent diseases, recommended screening mammograms for women start at age 50 rather than age 40.

But the state's decision was not related to task force recommendations, said Al Lundeen, spokesman for the California Department of Public Health. With the decline in funds from Prop. 99, state officials asked health managers of the "Every Woman Counts" program where they would make cuts.

The result was a conclusion to bump up the screening age, Lundeen said. Lum said that nobody likes to hear the "R" word -- rationing. But most effective way to screen for breast cancer with mammograms is for ages 50 and above.

"This is not ideal. But you are dealing with a limited amount of funds," she said.

Parker said that organization members from the Inland Empire will join Susan G. Komen personnel around the state at the state capitol on Monday to meet with legislators and participate in a rally.

"I guess every woman does not count," she said.

Clara Omogbai, regional coordinator for the Every Woman Counts Program, said multiple agencies are working together to make sure everyone has a screening option available between now and July 1.

One mammography provider is going as low as $50 to provide the screening, she said.

jim.steinberg@inlandnewspapers.com

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