Breast cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers among women in Texas. Women living in West Texas often fail to receive the necessary mammography and other screening services due to barriers such as finances, geography, and lack of childcare or means to travel to screening locations. Additionally, Hispanic, rural, and other medically underserved women in West Texas experience a higher incidence of advanced breast cancers.

The “Access to Breast Care for West Texas” (ABC4WT) project will increase breast cancer screening rates and preventive care in the underserved populations of West Texas. ABC4WT will “close the gap” between screening, diagnosis and treatment by helping women nav...

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Breast cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers among women in Texas. Women living in West Texas often fail to receive the necessary mammography and other screening services due to barriers such as finances, geography, and lack of childcare or means to travel to screening locations. Additionally, Hispanic, rural, and other medically underserved women in West Texas experience a higher incidence of advanced breast cancers.

The “Access to Breast Care for West Texas” (ABC4WT) project will increase breast cancer screening rates and preventive care in the underserved populations of West Texas. ABC4WT will “close the gap” between screening, diagnosis and treatment by helping women navigate the healthcare system to access breast screening and diagnostic services. The ABC4WT project includes building a cohesive community collaboration network throughout Public Health Region 1 (PHR1) which includes both the Panhandle and South Plains counties. Two campus affiliates of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health (LWBIWH), located in Amarillo and Lubbock, will serve as central hubs of this network. The Panhandle collaborative network will function within the ABC4WT entity, “C-STOPP,” Cancer Screening, Treatment, Outreach and Prevention for the Panhandle. Similarly, the South Plains ABC4WT site will operate within “SPRing Breast Cancer,” the South Plains Resource Clearinghouse for Breast Cancer.

The ABC4WT program, operating through C-STOPP and SPRing Breast Cancer, will provide reduced cost or free mammograms, free transportation to screening facilities, vouchers for childcare, community health workers, a patient navigator system, and individual counseling. ABC4WT will also raise awareness of breast health including screening information for women living in PHR1, through breast cancer prevention resources and a public awareness campaign stressing the importance of breast cancer screening for women in our region. More information on ABC4WT can be found at www.ABC4WT.org.

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