Breast health outreach and counseling project: Implications for improving outcomes in mammography screening rates

Background: The Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH), Ambulatory Health Services (AHS), which runs the City's 8 publicly-funded health centers, implemented a research-informed Breast Health Outreach and Counseling Project that focuses on providing free mammograms to uninsured and underinsured women patients. Methods: Project participants are active female patients (defined as patients who made 2 or more visits to the sites in the last 2 years), who are uninsured, between the ages of 40-69, and not up-to-date with their annual mammogram. The project is tailored on two research-tested intervention programs. One strategy incorporates direct mail to increase screening mammography. The second approach involves tailored telephone counseling, proven to be more successful than printed communications at promoting mammography screening for women who are non-adherent with breast cancer screening. During the course of CY2009 approximately 800 women are expected to qualify as participants. As patients respond to outreach efforts, they will be scheduled for a mammogram. Patients will be closely tracked and counseled as necessary to ensure completion of their annual mammogram. Results: By the end of CY2009 approximately 600 participants, or 75% of the women, are expected to be up-to-date with their mammogram. Through outreach efforts insight will be gained in understanding the barriers this inner-city, medically underserved, culturally diverse population faces in obtaining a mammogram. Conclusion: The project will demonstrate the feasibility of implementing research-tested interventions and the resulting effectiveness in increasing mammography screening rates in non-adherent populations.