Big jump in women served by free mammograms during Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The UC Davis Health free mammogram program during Beast Cancer Awareness Month served nearly quadruple the number of local women compared to two short years ago.

"Adding an extra day of screening helped make this year's free mammogram program more successful than ever," said Marissa Bashore, health education supervisor for UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center Office of Community Outreach and Engagement. "It truly reflects the power of collaboration and community engagement to improve access to care."

The screenings were available for females aged 40 to 74 who didn't have a mammogram in the past year and were not experiencing symptoms. Women with symptoms such as a lump, pain, swelling or discharge scheduled a more advanced diagnostic mammogram.

A total of 140 uninsured and underinsured women received the free breast cancer screenings last month. That's up from 95 women in 2024 and 37 in 2023.

Community collaboration

The program is possible thanks the cancer center's Office of Community Outreach and Engagement, the UC Davis Department of Radiology and a unique partnership with WellSpace Health. The non-profit community health system contacts everyone who participates in the free mammography program, then provides results and schedules follow up imaging, if necessary. WellSpace also addresses other health care needs, such as setting up cervical cancer screenings.

"This screening program continues to make a meaningful difference by removing barriers to costs associated with preventive care and connecting women with valuable resources for their ongoing health and wellness needs," Bashore said. "We heard stories about women grateful for the free screenings because of recent job loss and how they'd miss their screening had it not been for our program. This is one of the highlights of the work we get to do, and we look forward to its continued growth next year."

Regular screening mammography can help find breast cancer at an early stage when treatment is more likely to be successful. All women over the age of 40 are encouraged to get annual mammograms.

Related links:

Why women should start getting mammograms at age 40

UC Davis Health is expanding access to free mammograms during Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Why it is so important to get regular breast cancer screenings