The Texas Department of State Health Services estimates 19,921 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022. In Central Texas, Susan Dawson, AARO Health Committee chair and ACT co-chair, said it is the No. 1 killer.
“While insured cancer patients here have a longer life expectancy than the state average, uninsured cancer patients have just over half the Texas life expectancy,” Dawson said.
Representatives of Bastrop, Hays and Williamson counties each spoke to the initiative's importance to the Greater Central Texas region.
Williamson County Commissioner Cynthia Long said she was thankful the county took the next step to provide funding for the ACT initiative using American Rescue Plan Act funds after committing Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act funds to outfitting the Big Pink Bus and getting 3D mammography to areas without easy access.
“Together we have to find a way to continue this program, to get people screened and treated earlier," Long said. "So buckle up because we're not done.”
Hays County Commissioner Walt Smith said the program has been effective in his county, where four women have been diagnosed through the screening process and are receiving treatment.
"I'm excited that our county is able to be a part of this and look forward to the continued effort to expand to other types of cancer, because we know, especially in our area, they're very prevalent,” Smith said.
Launched in January, this initiative provides free breast cancer screenings, diagnosis and treatment resources for uninsured patients in Bastrop, Hays and Williamson counties.
Since the program's launch, multiple women in each county have received breast cancer diagnoses, according to Sandy Guzman, CEO of the Austin Area Research Organization, one of the program's partners. A total of 41 separate health care entities are involved in the Central Texas ACT initiative.
Those without primary health care may call 211 to be connected with primary care and screening options best suited to them, according to David Smith, CEO of United Way for Greater Austin.
The ACT coalition intends to address all cancers eventually but focuses on breast cancer to leverage local assets and maximize federal and state program funds.
To learn more about the ACT coalition, click here.
