January is Cervical Health Awareness Month
By: Jose G. Landa, Copyright 2015, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.
The American Social Health Association (ASHA) and the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) have named January 2015 as Cervical Health Awareness Month to encourage women across the country to get screened for cervical cancer and receive the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.
While most women are aware of Cervical Cancer, many forget to take the steps to have a plan to detect the disease in its early stages.
Cervical Health Awareness Month is designed to raise awareness how women can protect themselves from HPV (human papillomavirus) and cervical cancer. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease. It’s also a major cause of cervical cancer.
About 79 million Americans currently have HPV. Many people with HPV don’t know they are infected.
The good news is that HPV can be prevented with the HPV vaccine and Cervical Cancer can often be prevented with regular screening tests (called Pap tests) and follow-up care.
Cervical Cancer screenings can help detect abnormal (changed) cells early, before they turn into Cancer. Most deaths from cervical cancer could be prevented by regular Pap tests and follow-up care.
Cervical Health Awareness Month make a difference by allowing us all to spread the word about important steps women can take to stay healthy.
Women are encouraged to get their well-woman visit this year. Let women know that the health care reform law covers well-woman visits and cervical cancer screening. This means that, depending on their insurance, women can get these services at no cost to them. Talk to parents about how important it is for their pre-teens to get the HPV vaccine.
Maverick County Hospital District’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Services Program Director, Mary Hughes, emphasizes that screenings for early detection are important and reminds the community that these services are available at the Maverick County Hospital District, located at 3406 Bob Rogers Drive, in Eagle Pass. The Maverick County Hospital District BCCS program may be contacted at (830) 757-4907.
Early detection of Cervical Cancer and any other cancer increases the women’s probabilities to be treated and survive,” said Mary D. Hughes, Program Director of the Maverick County Hospital District (MCHD) Breast and Cervical Cancer Services Program.
Maverick County women between the ages of 40 and 64 may receive free breast cancer examinations and mammograms while women between the ages of 21 to 64 years of age may receive free pap smears to detect cervical cancer at the MCHD’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Services program. January is the month for women to take charge and make a difference in their health and lives by taking their well-woman visits and cervical cancer screenings.
The MCHD’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Services program is for low-income women in Maverick County who do not have health insurance but persons of all income brackets are invited to visit and consult with the MCHD and its Doctors.
The goal of the MCHD’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Services programs is to detect and treat breast and cervical cancer early. The Maverick County Hospital District has a medical clinic located at 3406 Bob Rogers Drive, Suite 120, in Eagle Pass where Maverick County women are provided the breast and cervical cancer screenings and treatments, if necessary.
The Maverick County Hospital District Physician Specialty Clinic now has oncology medical doctor available to perform the breast and cervical cancer screenings and provide treatments, if needed.
Maverick County women no longer need to travel out-of-town to San Antonio or elsewhere to receive cervical and breast Cancer screenings and treatment. They can now have them done locally at the Maverick County Hospital District.
For more information about the MCHD’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Services, please call Mary D. Hughes at (830) 757-4907 or visit them at 3406 Bob Rogers Drive, Suite 120, behind the Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center.
Women with cervical cancer tend not to have symptoms until the cancer becomes invasive. When women do have symptoms of cervical cancer, they can include: irregular vaginal bleeding. vaginal discharge with an unpleasant odor, watery vaginal discharge, vaginal discharge tinged with blood and pelvic or back pain.
The Maverick County Hospital District through the BCCS program provides health care services not only to the indigent but also for every Maverick County resident needing health care services through its Physician Specialty Group Clinic, which may be contacted at (830) 757-4900.
