No Insurance? Free Mammograms Now Available in Fernandina Beach

FERNANDINA BEACH - For years, eligible Nassau County residents who cannot afford breast cancer screening could receive free breast imaging in Jacksonville through a partnership between Pink Ribbon Jax and Ackerman Cancer Center. Now, that program has established a location
for free mammography screening in Fernandina Beach.

Program officials hope that the convenience of having a free mammography location in Nassau County will attract more county residents who are not receiving recommended annual or biennial breast cancer screening.

Imaging for uninsured and underinsured Northeast Florida residents will be available locally through Ackerman Cancer Center’s Amelia Island location at 1340 S. 18 th Street, Building A, Suite 103.

“The number of women who don’t have insurance and need access to care is really stunning,” said Dr. Gaelyn Scuderi, director of women’s imaging at Ackerman Cancer Center — Amelia Island. “Part of our mission at Ackerman Cancer Center is to provide personalized care but also identify where the community needs us.”

Too many eligible individuals do not receive recommended breast imaging despite the fact that early detection means many cancers are highly curable. Breast cancer is the  most common cancer in U.S. women after skin cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. About 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.

Moreover, breast cancer rates are rising by about 1% each year, according to the ACS.
The rise is especially concerning in women under age 50. Rates are rising in younger women, most likely due to excess body weight, having fewer children or having a first child after age 30, experts say.

Screening guidelines address that trend. Mammograms are recommended every two years for women 40 to 74, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

The American College of Radiology recommends annual screening beginning at age 40. The American Cancer Society says screening is optional in women ages 40 to 44 but recommends annual screening for women ages 45 to 54 and biennial screening for women ages 40 to 74.
Many middle-aged women are skipping mammography due to cost concerns, insurance  issues or busy lives, Scuderi says.

“This program with Pink Ribbon Jax is going to help these women — who are middle-aged and in that crucible of life — who are not really taking care of themselves,” she said.

Pink Ribbon Jax is an all-volunteer Northeast Florida nonprofit dedicated to helping ensure that cost or lack of insurance does not stand in the way of potentially life-saving breast imaging. The organization has partnered with Ackerman Cancer Center to offer free screening for several years, “but this is our first year to have a dedicated partner in Fernandina Beach,” said Baylee Richter, community relations manager for Ackerman
Cancer Center in Jacksonville.

While mammography is free to anyone with health insurance, people who are uninsured or underinsured often must pay for screening and, thus, choose to skip it, Richter says.

About 10% of Nassau County residents are at or below the federal poverty line. Scuderi says the drive to Jacksonville for free mammography discourages many women from pursuing screening.
“Getting downtown {to Jacksonville] was very difficult, very challenging or very costly,” she said. “We’re trying instead to go to where people need us.”

To obtain screening, an interested man or woman can contact Pink Ribbon Jax. The client will need to submit some information to verify his or her eligibility, such as income and lack of health insurance. Once verified, the client will be connected to Ackerman Cancer Center in Fernandina Beach to schedule a mammogram.

Clients will also need to be connected to a primary care provider or nurse practitioner to receive the mammogram results and share those results with the client. However, anyone who doesn’t have a primary care provider can reach out to Pink Ribbon Jax for help in finding a provider. You don’t need to see your provider first before undergoing the mammogram.

Ackerman Cancer Center officials are seeking additional Nassau County-based primary care providers who can join the program and assist with the referral process, Richter said.

The program also helps clients if they need additional diagnostic testing, she said.

“If you find something concerning, Pink Ribbon Jax will pay for all exams and diagnostic tests,” she said.

That includes biopsies, ultrasound exams or MRI exams. Ackerman Cancer Center opened its breast clinic in Fernandina Beach in 2021. It is the only center in Nassau County to offer contrast-enhanced mammography. Contrast-enhanced mammography uses iodine-based dye to help detect cancer earlier, similar to breast MRI, Scuderi said.

However, compared to breast MRI, the technology is faster and costs less.

“We have everything in our Fernandina Beach office: PET/CT machine, mammography machine. Biopsies and ultrasounds can be done onsite as well as treatment,” Richter said. “It’s one stop for everything.” If cancer is detected in a client who is uninsured or underinsured, Pink Ribbon Jax will
also help that individual find insurance coverage.

“The team with Pink Ribbon Jax and our team at Ackerman will work with resources, like Barnabus, to help people cover treatment or help them find insurance,” Richter said. “Oftentimes, someone at or below the poverty level, or who is self-employed, may
have opted out of insurance,” Richter says. “If they have a diagnosis, they may then opt [to purchase] insurance. Our social work team will help them navigate that process.”

While free mammography screening is offered many places, few programs also help a woman through the entire diagnostic process and counsel them on possible payment options for treatment, Scuderi sais.

“Health insurance has become so expensive,” she says, adding that she has seen women who require addition diagnostic testing abandon the process. “They know it’s going to be a significant out-of-pocket cost. It’s a spectacular commitment [by Pink Ribbon Jax] to see a patient all the way through the diagnostic process.”

For more information, go to Pink Ribbon Jax at: pinkribbonjax.org. You can contact Pink Ribbon Jax at: info@pinkribbonjax.org or 904-206-7737.