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Getting The Word Out On Cancer

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By KATHY STEELE The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 12, 2008

TAMPA - The reasons many of Estrella Clement's patients wait so long for breast and cervical cancer tests often come down to fear and lack of health insurance.

It took one woman's family more than three months to persuade her to come for a breast exam, even though it was free. More than 80 percent of her breast was a tumor, said Clement, who has been a nurse for more than 20 years and a nurse practitioner for about 12.

The woman, who qualified for Medicaid, was referred to H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute for treatment. Clement worries that too many women, especially in black and Hispanic neighborhoods, do not know about free screening and treatment options.

"The word has to get out," Clement said.

In 2007, the Florida Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program received almost $4 million in federal funds to provide reduced-cost or free breast exams, mammograms and Pap smears to low-income women ages 50 to 64. About $2.7 million in state and federal funds was available through Medicaid for treatment.

The state's program has 16 coordinators who deliver services to all 67 counties.

About $266,000 was available in 2007 for screenings by more than 20 health care providers, including Clement and Moffitt, in Hillsborough, Polk, Highland and Hardee counties.

Each year, about 700 to 800 women are screened in those counties, program coordinator Clarence Gyden said, but the goal is to reach more than 1,000.

"There are a lot of women who can't afford it," said Clement, whose office is at Tampa Women's Wellness Center, 800 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Gyden said transportation also is a major obstacle for many low-income women.

Clement said her goal is to have a mobile unit; a used one costs about $150,000.

In the past year, she has screened about 150 women and referred eight for follow-ups or treatment.

Clement takes every chance to talk about the program at health fairs, in public service announcements and, most recently, as a guest on a local radio show.

Born in Cuba, she moved to New Jersey as a child and has lived in Tampa for about 25 years. She earned a master's in nursing at the University of South Florida.

"I always wanted to be a nurse," she said.

With January designated as Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, she hopes more women will take advantage of the free screenings. "All of these things can be caught very early," Clement said.

FREE EXAMS

Women may qualify for a free mammogram, breast examination and Pap smear if they are:

•Ages 50 to 64

•Have no insurance

•Meet income guidelines

•Have not had a hysterectomy

For an appointment, call Estrella Clement at (813) 223-4300 or the state at 1-800-451-2229.

Reporter Kathy Steele can be reached at (813) 835-2103 or ksteele@tampatrib.com.

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