The Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health, Chronic
Disease Prevention and Health Promotion partners with Access to Healthcare
Network to administer the Women’s Health Connection program. Women’s Health
Connection is a breast and cervical early detection program dedicated to
serving low-income, high-risk, uninsured and underinsured women living in
Nevada. The program’s goal is to reduce the burden of breast and cervical
cancer through education, early screening and diagnostics, care coordination/case
management, and improved accessibility to treatment.
The 2017 Legislative session passed AB388 to make an
appropriation of $500,000 each year to support breast and cervical cancer
screenings to women in Nevada. The Women’s Health Connection program has
been federally funded through the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early
Detection Program since 1997, and the passage of AB388 will bring state funding
to screen women for breast and cervical cancer in Nevada.
Who Is Eligible for the Women’s Health Connection Program?
You may be
eligible for the program if you meet the following criteria:
- Residency: You must live in Nevada.
- Gender: Women’s Health Connection
services are available to biological women, transgender men (female to male),
and transgender women (male to female) who have received hormone therapy.
- Age: Women who are 21-64 years of age may
qualify.
- Income: You must be at or below 250% of
the federal poverty rate.
- Insurance status: You must be uninsured
or underinsured to qualify.
Please contact the State of Nevada Health Division’s
partner, Access to Healthcare Network at
1-(877) 385-2345 to see if you qualify. Women’s Health Connection evaluates
emergency situations on a case by case basis. If you are experiencing an
emergency situation, please contact the program immediately.
How Do I Enroll into the Women’s Health Connection Program?
There are
three ways to enroll into Women’s Health Connection:
- Call Access to Healthcare Network Call Center
(Reno) at 1-877-385-2345,
- Make an appointment with Access to Healthcare
Network, or
- Schedule an appointment with a Federally
Qualified Health Center (Community Health Alliance, Nevada Health Centers,
Northern Nevada HOPES), a local community health nurse or county health
department, or Guadalupe Medical Center (Las Vegas).
What Services Are Covered?
Women’s Health Connection provides free breast and cervical
cancer screenings for women who meet eligibility guidelines. Covered services
can include a pelvic exam, Pap test, HPV test, clinical breast exam, mammogram,
and diagnostic services such as ultrasound, colposcopy, or biopsy, if needed.
What If I Have Been Diagnosed with Breast or Cervical Cancer?
As a result of the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and
Treatment Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-354), eligible women screened and
diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer, or found to have high-grade cervical
precancer diagnosed through the Women’s Health Connection program have access
to treatment services through Medicaid. If you have been diagnosed with breast
or cervical cancer outside the program, please contact Access to Healthcare
Network at 1-877-385-2345 to discuss treatment options.
Program Successes
Since its implementation in 1997, Women’s Health Connection has
provided breast and cervical cancer screening to over 57,536 women and diagnosed more than 679 breast cancers, and 967
cervical cancer or premalignant cervical lesions, in Nevada.