It’s been closed for nearly a year, but now a program that helps low-income women get breast cancer screenings is re-opening. It’s known as “every woman counts.” New enrollment was frozen last January because demand was up and less money was coming in.
Al Lundeen with the California Department of Public Health said lawmakers and the Governor earmarked $20 million to allow enrollment to begin again.
“We project we’ll service more than 300,000 women between now and the end of the fiscal year, and that’s a growing number from what we’ve seen in the past,” Lundeen said.
“Every woman counts” is open to low-income women age 40 and older who have no health insurance. It depends in part on tobacco tax revenues, which are declining.
After the fiscal year ends in June it will be up to lawmakers and Governor-elect Brown to decide whether to keep supplementing the program with state dollars.
