New women’s health programs available in Abilene

Oct. 07--The Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District now offers three new programs, mostly targeting women's health, through Texas' Health and Human Services Department, said Kay Durilla, nursing program manager with the health district.

The options include the Healthy Texas Women program, family planning services -- which include services for men -- and breast and cervical cancer screening services.

Many women choose to forgo basic screenings because of costs, Durilla said.

"We want women to be aware that there is a place to come for all of this when they don't have the money to see the doctor and they are in that low-income bracket," she said.

"It's in their favor to get themselves seen and taken care of," she added,

Healthy Texas Women's services include annual exams; pap smears; lab tests; birth control; STD testing and treatment; breast exams; pregnancy testing; and chronic care, including screening and treatment for diabetes, hypertension and elevated cholesterol levels.

The program is for women ages 15 to 44, Durilla said.

Applicants cannot be pregnant, must not have any private health insurance and cannot be covered by other programs, such as Medicaid or CHIP.

Acceptance requires Texas residency and U.S. citizenship or legal immigration status. A patient's income must be at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

Some applicants can be automatically accepted, Durilla said.

"(If) the woman, especially the mother and her children are on Medicaid, that gets her automatically into the Healthy Texas Women program," she said. The same applies if a household member is on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Women, Infants and Children.

"But they still have to do the application process and they have to provide the proof that they're in one of those programs," Durilla said.

Minors must have parental consent. The program is available to women in a 19-county area around Abilene.

The family planning program is for men and women 64 and younger. Applicants cannot have health insurance, must be Texas residents. Patients must be at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level.

Services include annual exams, pap smears, breast exams and other screening lab tests, and birth control.

As with the Healthy Texas Women program, screening for conditions such as cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension is available, but the family planning program "won't treat them," Durilla said.

STD and pregnancy testing also are available, she said.

"It will cover the birth control methods," Durilla said. "There will be condoms for men if they want them, and there will be all of the different methods for the ladies."

Minors must have consent from a parent or a legal guardian to participate. The program is limited to Taylor County residents.

Breast and cervical cancer screening services can include an annual exam, Pap smear, breast exam, mammograms, repeat Pap smears and other diagnostic tests as needed for cancer diagnosis.

"Women can see our clinic providers or be referred from other providers when abnormalities are found in the breast or cervix," Durilla said.

A case manager at the health district's MERCY Health Care Center helps with the process.

"Depending on how their results go, for whatever level it can progress through the BCCS as needed," she said. "If they do get diagnosed with cancer, they also have the option of going through (a) Medicaid special setup for that cancer."

According to Health and Human Services' website, hhs.texas.gov, applicants must be a resident of Texas, 18 or older, have no health insurance and meet income requirements, with a maximum monthly family income 200 percent below the federal poverty level.

Both the Healthy Texas Women and family planning programs have "some elements of the breast and cervical cancer screening program," Durilla said.

If abnormal breast exam results are received, for example, the programs "will also do their mammogram," she said.

Unusual results for mammograms or Pap smears indicate the patient "may need to step into the breast and cervical cancer screening (program) so that they can have further diagnostic testing," she said, with some women subsequently set up in a Medicaid program to start treatment.

More information on all three programs is available at the HHS website. The Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District's MERCY Health Care Center may be reached at 325-676-6634.

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