Wisconsin Well Woman Program Provides Qualified Women with Free Cancer Screenings
Rhinelander, WI: National Women’s Health Week is an observance led by the Office of Women’s Health with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The goal of National Women’s Health Week is to empower women to make their health a priority. Oneida County Health Department provides case management for women enrolled in the Wisconsin Well Woman Program for nine counties in Northern Wisconsin: Oneida, Ashland, Bayfield, Florence, Forest, Iron, Price, Sawyer and Vilas. The Well Woman Program provides certain breast and cervical cancer screening services (mammograms, Pap tests, etc.) at no cost to uninsured or underinsured women, ages 45-64 that meet income guidelines. There is no premium, co-payment, or deductible for the Well Woman Program. Covered services are available from participating health care providers when enrolled in the program.
To improve physical and mental health, women can:
Visit their health care provider for a well check and complete preventive screenings.- Get active, with 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity at least 5 days per week or as advised by their healthcare provider.
- Eat healthy, focusing on variety, amount, and nutrition.
- Pay attention to mental health, including getting enough sleep and managing stress.
- Avoid unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking, texting while driving, and not wearing a seatbelt or bicycle helmet.
Oneida County Health Department encourages all women to schedule their well check, including a mammogram and Pap test, during National Women’s Health Week. “Early detection can save lives. Screening for breast cancer with a mammogram and for cervical cancer with a Pap test can help find cancer at an early stage or even a pre-cancerous stage, before symptoms appear and when it can be treated more easily,” states Nichole Peplinski RN, BSN and Wisconsin Well Woman Program Coordinator in Northern Wisconsin. “These lifesaving screenings provided by the Wisconsin Well Woman Program may be underused by women in Wisconsin who have no regular source for health care, are uninsured or underinsured,” states Peplinski.
Women interested in applying for the Wisconsin Well Woman Program, can contact the Northern Regional Coordinator, Nichole Peplinski RN, BSN via phone at 715-369-6119 or via email at npeplinski@co.oneida.wi.us
To participate in National Women’s Health Week, women can visit www.womenshealth.gov/nwhw/ and take the National Women’s Health Week pledge to join women, of every age and across the country, challenging themselves to be healthy.