Women who need mammography screenings now being waitlisted and having their access delayed!! Many will end up not getting a mammogram.

Here in Chicago, a Black woman has a 62% greater chance of dying from breast cancer compared to a White woman.  A higher death rate likely also applies to other women of color.

• Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women.
• Over 85% of women whose breast cancer is found through mammography screening survive more than 15 years after being diagnosed.

In Illinois, the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (IBCCP) provides free cancer screenings to women who are uninsured. Because Latinas and African American women are more likely to be uninsured, they rely disproportionately on this program here in Chicago.

However, the IBCCP program is out of money and has been since January!

Illinois has put 12 IBCCP lead agencies on priority status which means they cannot provide screening mammograms to women. They are putting women on a waiting list and delaying their access to mammograms.

 For FY13, the state has proposed to cut IBCCP by  $3 Million which would disproportionately affect women of color.