Colorado Breast Cancer Support Resources Directory

Under 50 Years of Age

Several programs around the state provide free or low-cost screening for women under 50 who meet income guidelines and are uninsured or underinsured. The Susan G. Komen for the Cure affiliates statewide provide a list of their funded projects for screening and diagnostic services (see Support Organizations on this web site). Also look in the Support Services and Financial Assistance sections for other organizations that might provide assistance with screening.

40 to 64 Years of Age

The Women's Wellness Connection or WWC (formerly the Colorado Women’s Cancer Control Initiative, or CWCCI) is a program of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for the early detection of breast and cervical cancer. WWC funds providers statewide to provide free screening to women who meet these eligibility criteria:

• Live in Colorado or in a state bordering Colorado and receive breast/cervical health care in Colorado
• Meet identity and citizenship criteria
• Have a family income at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty guidelines
• Don't have health insurance that would cover these exams or have a high deductible high enough that they would delay or refuse screening
• Have not had a mammogram or Pap test in the past 12 months

Women 40 to 49 years of age are eligible for a clinical breast exam, Pap test/pelvic exam and mammography only if they are considered at high risk. Women 50 to 64 years of age are eligible for a clinical breast exam, Pap test/pelvic exam and mammogram.

PLEASE NOTE: Women screened through WWC and are diagnosed with cancer may be eligible for treatment funds provided by the federal Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act. For more information call 866-951-WELL (9355).

65 Years of Age or Over

Medicare helps pay for a mammogram every year. For questions about Medicare, call 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227), or visit the web site at www.medicare.gov. Information and counseling on Medicare issues are available in Spanish by calling 866-665-9668 statewide.

Choosing a Mammography Site

It is important to have mammograms at facilities that are government-certified. Mammography facilities include breast clinics, radiology departments in hospitals, mobile vans, private radiology practices, and other doctors' offices. The Food an Drug Administration certified that these sites meet quality standards for equipment and practices under the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA).

MQSA standards also apply to the technologist who takes your mammogram, the radiologist who studies your mammogram, and the medical physicist who test the mammography equipment. Look for the MQSA certificate displayed at your facility and check its expiration date. You can also find the certified mammography site nearest you by going online to www.fda.gov/cdrh/mammography/certified.html where you can search by zip code or by name.

As a rule, the more mammography films each doctor reads annually, the more expert they become. At some facilities, each mammogram is read twice, either by a machine and then by a radiologist or by more than one radiologist, which increases accuracy, too. Finally, it is important to have your mammography films available for comparison from year to year. If you do need to change sites, you can have your films sent to the new site. Finding a good mammography center and going back there each time is the easiest way to make sure your screening process is working best for you.

Screening After Treatment

Become familiar with how your breasts feel after surgery.  You may feel changes in the breast tissue for several months. Talk with your medical team about how your breast feels, about new methods for breast self exams, and about other plans for screening after your treatment. Knowing the plan for your follow-up care is a good way to be more in charge.

After a lumpectomy, mammograms on both breasts should continue on the schedule recommended by your doctor. After a mastectomy, follow-up screening is done with physical examination of the remaining tissue on the affected side, and mammograms on the remaining breast. For women who have had both breasts removed, with or without reconstruction, screening is done with physical examination.

Follow-up screening will be up to you and your medical team. The important things are to have a plan that works for you and to stick with the plan.

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Uninsured or Underinsured?

The terms “uninsured" and "underinsured” mean that a person has no insurance, or their insurance does not pay for mammograms, or the cost of the insurance co-payment would keep them from getting a mammogram.