Overcoming Obstacles: Physician Sheds Light on Mammogram Barriers for Women

A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) asserts that not enough of you are obtaining mammograms.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), significant factors may include transportation, expenses, and health insurance.

According to Dr. Alexia Novara, who spoke with WBRC, it is extremely important for women to begin getting screenings as early as the age of 40 and to do so every one to two years. According to Dr. Novara, women who do not follow through with their screenings are more likely to develop breast cancer at later stages, which are significantly more difficult to cure.

Dr. Novara is in agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) when they claim that they all observe the same obstacles that affect women’s health care and health care in general. These obstacles include a lack of transportation, health insurance, and expenses.

There are other ways to assist patients in getting their screenings done, such as ride sharing programs or obtaining a mammogram on the same day that someone comes in for their routine checkups, according to Novara, who tells me that at her clinic, they make sure to educate patients about these additional channels.

“I’ve been trying to encourage all of my patients to do that whenever they come just to again, minimize that transportation barrier and time barrier to make it a little bit easier on our patients,” said Dr. Alexia Novara. “It might be a little bit easier on our patients.”

The Alabama Department of Public Health offers a program that provides screenings for breast and cervical cancer patients in the community who satisfy the lower income criterion, as Dr. Novara noted. This service is available to patients who match the criteria.