Susan G. Komen for the Cure defunds Planned Parenthood

[SWTXBelle]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

It is very rare for clinics to have their own mammogram equipment. Clinics that support low income communities would have a hard time affording mammogram equipment, a mammography tech, the tracking software and radiologists salary to do mammography on site. Patients can't just go to a mammography clinic directly either. You have to have a primary physician. The VAST majority of services for low income women, ie. Health Units, Well Woman, PP, etc send out referrals just like your regular doctor would. They then pay the bill to the mammography center. Mostly these groups have contracts with mammography groups to care for their patients. My group sees all of Pinal County and Maricopa County Health Unit patients in Arizona. The Health Unit doesn't have it's own mammo business. BTW, there are NO free mammogram clinics in the Phoenix area. Even with the services we have, there are thousands of women who cannot get coverage for mammograms in this area.

Again, I draw your attention to the example of The Rose, where patients can be seem without a referral, as an example of how it can work. My mother, who has insurance, has hers at The Rose because the insured patients help support services for the uninsured. My point is that those (including SGK) who are interested in providing services to low income or uninsured women should direct their money to making that type of program more accessible. If the Planned Parenthood clinics have been making referrals to existing clinics then other organizations now need to step forward to either 1.) enable women to be referred or 2.) enable women to get screening mammograms without a referral. I think it is incumbent on SGK to step up and insure that the women who were being served by Planned Parenthood are not left without access to screenings. I am gobsmacked that an area as large as Phoenix is without free services.