All posts tagged Pap Test

Cervical Cancer is Preventable


This month is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, and it’s a great time for us to educate ourselves about cervical cancer and the importance of screening.

Due to the availability of screening, few women get cervical cancer. However, many women are still not getting screened. Most deaths from cervical cancer can be prevented if more women had tests to find cervical cancer early. No woman should die of cervical cancer in our state.

There is good news:

  • Cervical cancer can often be prevented with regular screening tests (called Pap tests) and follow-up care. A Pap test can catch cervical cancer early, when it’s easier to treat.
  • HPV causes most cervical cancers. The HPV vaccine significantly reduces the risk of cervical cancer. Doctors recommend that both girls and boys get the HPV vaccine at age 11 or 12.
  • Under the Affordable Care Act, nearly all health insurance plans cover cervical cancer screening tests at no cost.
  • Women under 40 can contact one of these family planning clinics to ask about free or low cost screenings.
  • Refer low-income, uninsured or underinsured women ages 40-64 to the Breast, Cervical and Colon Health Program (BCCHP).

Who should get screened for Cervical Cancer?

  • Women ages 21 to 65 should get the Pap test every 3 years.
  • Women 30 to 65 may choose to have the Pap test every 5 years if done with an HPV test. When these tests are performed together, it is called co-testing.
  • Women who have had the HPV vaccination should continue to get screened because the vaccine does not prevent all types of cervical cancer.
  • Women who have had a hysterectomy due to cervical cancer.

Educational materials you can use in your community:

Cervical-Infographic

Questions? Contact Kendria Dickson at kendria.dickson@doh.wa.gov or 360-236-3598.

Thanks to Public Health – Seattle & King County for the content of this blog post.

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by ywcakatie on January 2, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Women's Health Outreach
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Posted by ywcakatie on January 2, 2015

https://healthaccessywca.wordpress.com/2015/01/02/cervical-cancer-is-preventable/

16th Annual Rainbow Health Fair!


We are so excited to host the 16th annual Rainbow Health Fair on Saturday, June 28,from 1-5pm at All Pilgrims Church on Broadway and Republican at the Capitol Hill Pride Festival. At the Rainbow Health Fair, our mission is to offer traditional and holistic health services and education from culturally competent providers to lesbian, bisexual, and queer women and gender queer and transgender people, especially those with limited access to care.

Our vision:
A world where people of all genders and sexualities have access to the resources they need for optimal wellness.

Here’s the thing:
To make it happen we need YOU.

We need you to come by, say hi, and maybe even…

  • Get a free pap test or mammogram. Yeah, it’s nobody’s idea of a good time, but trust us, our providers love working with LBTQ patients – and did we say free?
  • Free mammograms for eligible people 40+ only
  • Free massages and acupuncture
  • Free snacks and water
  • Lots of great information for your health and wellness
  • Health resources in Seattle and the Puget Sound
  • Insurance info and enrollment
  • Win a sweet raffle prize from Babeland, Three Dollar Bill Cinema, Rat City Roller Girls, SIFF cinema and more!

We’ll be posting more soon about the awesome providers we have lined up for you, but in the meantime, save the date to come see us at Capitol Hill Pride!

The Rainbow Health Fair: free, fun, safe and queer!!

2014RHF

To stay up-to-date and informed about the Rainbow Health Fair this year and every year, visit the YWCA’s LBTQ Health Blog!

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by ywcakatie on June 9, 2014  •  Permalink
Posted in Women's Health Outreach
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Posted by ywcakatie on June 9, 2014

https://healthaccessywca.wordpress.com/2014/06/09/16th-annual-rainbow-health-fair/

Cervical Health Awareness Month


Ladies, when was the last time you had a Pap test?

About 79 million Americans currently have HPV (human papillomavirus), the most common sexually transmitted disease. HPV is a major cause of cervical cancer.

The National Cervical Cancer Coalition shares some information about HPV:

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the name of a group of viruses that infect the skin. There are more than 100 different types of HPV. Some types of genital HPV may cause genital warts, while other types of genital HPV are linked to abnormal cell changes on the cervix (detected through Pap tests) that can lead to cervical cancer. However, this cancer can almost always be prevented through regular screening and, if needed, treatment of abnormal cell changes.

Cervical Health Awareness Month - Get regular Pap tests.

January is National Cervical Health Awareness Month. There is so much we can do these days to prevent cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer can often be prevented with regular screening tests (called Pap tests) and follow-up care. The US Department of Health & Human Services encourages:

  • Women to start getting regular Pap tests at age 21
  • Women to get the HPV vaccine before age 27
  • Parents to make sure their pre-teens get the HPV vaccine at age 11 or 12
  • Men to get the HPV vaccine if you are under age 22

Thanks to the health care reform law, you and your family members may be able to get these services at no cost to you. Check with your insurance company and talk to your doctor.

Regardless of your insurance status, contact the YWCA’s Women’s Health Outreach program to receive a pap test and mammogram. Women 40 and older may be eligible for free screenings. Contact us to learn more and to schedule an appointment at a local upcoming mobile screening event. Call Ingrid Berkhout at 206.461.4493, Marilyn Calbert at 206.461.4489, or Karly Garcia at 425.226.1266 x1006.

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by ywcakatie on January 23, 2014  •  Permalink
Posted in Women's Health Outreach
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Posted by ywcakatie on January 23, 2014

https://healthaccessywca.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/cervical-health-awareness-month/

Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Action!


Over the course of 2013, YWCA Women’s Health Outreach will have coordinated and hosted 28 mobile screening events in King County, bringing essential mammogram and pap test screenings to women who are primarily uninsured or underinsured. And, in the month of October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Women’s Health Outreach will be at 6 screenings all together.

Today, Outreach Specialist Karly Garcia is hosting a mobile screening event at the Mexican Consulate in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood. By mid-afternoon, 19 women will have had their annual mammogram, and dozens more will have been referred to an upcoming screening event or appointment at a local clinic. If you’re in need of a mammogram, reach out to Karly here.

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The YWCA’s Karly Garcia in the Mexican Consulate’s Ventanilla de Salud (Health Window), where she shares health information with the community

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Gloria from Community Health Plan shares information about health coverage at the Mexican Consulate’s Ventanilla de Salud.

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Today, 19 women will receive a mammogram and pap test in the coach provided by Swedish Medical Center.

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Alba from Swedish welcomes community members into the mobile screening coach, and Grace Chapman, ARNP, conducts well-women exams for one-stop shopping!

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Susan G. Komen Interim Executive Director Mona Locke; Consul of Mexico Eduardo Baca Cuenca; YWCA Women’s Health Outreach Program Manager Ingrid Berkhout; Susan G. Komen Director of Grants, Education, and Advocacy Elisa del Rosario; Susan G. Komen Community Outreach Coordinator Silvia Kennedy; Grace Chapman, ARNP; and Mexican Consulate Consul for Community Outreach Lilian Cordoba Vazquez.

Many thanks to all our partners for making this a successful event!

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by ywcakatie on October 10, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by ywcakatie on October 10, 2013

https://healthaccessywca.wordpress.com/2013/10/10/breast-cancer-awareness-month-in-action/

Happy Cervical Cancer Awareness Month!


In the spirit of good health and even better information, we wanted to provide some insight into why January is known as National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.

The statistics surrounding cervical cancer can seem pretty scary. After all, more than 12,000 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer this year, and nearly 4,000 women will die as a result.

But did you know that cervical cancer is the most preventable form of cancer? Cervical cancer is the only known cancer to be caused primarily by a common virus, the sexually transmitted infection known as the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). And thanks to vaccines, the risks of contracting the more dangerous forms of HPV can become diminished. For more information on HPV vaccines, visit the Center for Disease Control’s website or talk to your medical provider.

However, there are other ways to stay on top of your cervical health.

Changes in your cervix can occur regularly, so obtaining regular pap tests from your gynecologist is very important. Make sure if you receive an abnormal pap test from your gynecologist, that you follow up. Don’t leave your health to fate, be an active pursuer of your cervix’s well-being!

If you are a smoker, quit now! Smoking has been known to increase women’s chances of developing cervical cancer, especially if you have already been diagnosed with HPV.

There is no better prevention than protection. The risks of contracting HPV increase with the number of sexual partners women have throughout their lifetime. Limiting the number of partners will limit your chances of developing HPV. If you are sexually active, use condoms every time. This will undoubtedly decrease your risk of contracting a dangerous strain of HPV and thus developing cervical cancer or other related infections and viruses.

Only you know how your body feels, and only you can determine if something ever feels off or wrong. If you don’t have a gynecologist that you see regularly in the area, find one now! Do a search online, read through reviews of medical providers, and make sure the medical provider you see is covered under your health insurance plan. If you don’t have health insurance, be sure to check out any number of clinics in the area, or contact the YWCA’s Women’s Health Outreach Program Manager Ingrid Berkhout to access no-cost mammograms and cervical exams in Seattle, King County and Snohomish County.

Happy Cervical Cancer Awareness Month!

Information for this blog post was provided by: Northwest Herald and about.com.

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by ywcavolunteer on January 20, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by ywcavolunteer on January 20, 2012

https://healthaccessywca.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/happy-cervical-cancer-awareness-month/