Free mammograms available through Minnesota Department of Health

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The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is offering free mammograms and Pap tests.

The mammograms are offered through the Sage Screening Program, a state and federally-funded program that provides free breast and cervical cancer screenings to uninsured and underinsured women age 40 and older. Newly enrolled women in the program will receive $20 for being screened.

MDH hopes to make more women in Minnesota aware of this free program. “We think there are

many women in this part of the state who are not receiving these life-saving screening tests because they have no health insurance or their insurance has deductibles or co-payments they cannot meet. Sage can help,” said Jonathan Slater, Chief of Cancer Control at MDH.

Sage has a network of nearly 450 local health care providers statewide, and has served more than 126,000 women since 1991. More than 1,700 women have been diagnosed and treated for breast and cervical cancer through the Sage program.

This year, it is estimated that 3,500 Minnesotan women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and

approximately 650 Minnesota women will die from the disease. Annual mammography has been

reported to reduce breast cancer deaths in women age 40 and older by detecting the disease in its earliest stages when it is most easily treated.

Women seeking eligibility information about the free mammography program – or women who want to make an appointment for a free mammogram – should call Sage at 1-888-6-HEALTH (1-888-643-2584). For women who live in neighboring states or those whose incomes exceed Sage’s guidelines, call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 to learn of other free and low-cost programs.

For more information, visit www.MNSage.com.

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