“If you have a cervix, screen it”: Health Department offers free pap smears, HPV tests and mammograms

The Gallatin City-County Health Department (GCCHD) offers free pap smears, HPV tests and mammograms to individuals in Gallatin County. This program has been available for over 20 years, but Alyson Wooley — director of the GCCHD’s cancer screening program —  said that increased awareness and education about the importance of cancer screenings is needed. 

“Screenings are really important,” Wooley said. “Early detections save lives, so anything we can do to get those screening numbers up and help prevent cervical cancer early is beneficial to the community.” 

Pap smears are used to look for cell changes in the cervix that could become cancerous. HPV tests detect the presence of human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted infection that can cause cervical cancer. Mammograms screen for breast cancer. Usually, a patient first takes a pap test to look for abnormalities. If any are found, they would then take an HPV test, Wooley said.

According to a promotional page for the Montana Cancer Control Program (MCCP), individuals eligible for the free tests and screenings must be between the ages of 21 and 74. They must be uninsured or have an insurance deductible higher than $250 and their income must be at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level, Wooley said.

“People who don’t qualify for Medicaid but still can’t really afford private insurance — we fit that niche really well, but you can have insurance and still participate in the program,” Wooley said. The GCCHD runs this program with 11 different Bozeman providers, including the Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital and Big Sky Medical Center.

MSU Student Health Services (SHS) also offers free pap smears to students, according to Kristi Lavin, a nurse practitioner at SHS. However, it does not offer free HPV tests or mammograms. 

Lavin also said that vaccines can help prevent the types of HPV that cause anal, cervical and genital cancer. “Screening is only the first step and if you don’t have the resources for the next step, prevention with the vaccine is the best way to solve that problem,” she said. 

The GCCHD also offers $21 HPV vaccines for adults who are low-income or uninsured, according to Wooley.

“The access to free or affordable healthcare screenings like [these] is super important and should definitely be something that is utilized,” said Betsy Danforth, director of the MSU Women’s Center.

“If you have a cervix, screen it. That’s my number one takeaway for everyone. [And] get your HPV vaccine if you haven’t,” Wooley said.

To check out the services offered by SHS, visit https://www.montana.edu/wellness/student-health-services/clinical-services.html. 

To learn more about cancer screening services from the GCCHD, visit https://www.healthygallatin.org/community-health/cancer-screening/.