Open Door Family Medical Center has received a new grant from New York State Department of Health to continue to cover the cost of breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screenings for eligible patients over the next five years as part of the New York State Cancer Services Program (CSP).
Over the past five years, Open Door has provided these services through CSP to an estimated 6,000 patients a year who live in New York State, meet age requirements and lack health insurance or who have health insurance that would make the cost of cancer screenings and diagnostic services prohibitive. The screenings include: for cervical cancer, a pap test and pelvic exam for women ages 40 and older; for breast cancer, a mammogram and clinical breast exam for women ages 40 and older and those younger with a high risk for breast cancer; for colorectal cancer, an at-home Fecal Immunochemical Test Kit (FIT) for those 45 and older and a colonoscopy for those at increased or higher risk or whose lab findings from the FIT kit test are positive.
Those patients who test positive for cancer can be enrolled by CSP staff in the Medicaid Cancer Treatment Program or Emergency Medicaid for coverage of care.
“Early diagnosis is key,” said Sara Hodgdon, Director of CSP Operations at Open Door. “Colorectal and cervical cancers can be prevented with early screenings and with breast cancer, early diagnosis often results in far better outcomes.”
Open Door’s Patient Advocates and Patient Navigators assist patients through the screening process by helping with CSP enrollment paperwork, scheduling appointments, securing transportation to appointments and coordinating care between the medical providers involved.
The new five-year CSP program will reach out to specific populations with higher rates of cancer. This includes the LGBT+ community.
The New York State Cancer Services Program grant will continue to be administered by Hudson Information Technology for Community Health (HITCH), the organization created by Open Door through partnerships with two other Federally Qualified Health Centers in the Lower Hudson Valley, Sun River Health and the Institute for Family Health. Coverages is available through CSP of the Hudson Valley for eligible individuals residing in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester Counties. Other CSP programs throughout the state provide coverage for residents of other counties.
For more information, contact the CSP of the Hudson Valley directly by calling 914-488-6400.
