The Healthy Woman Program:
Giving Women a Helping Hand

Mary LeVasseur (right) and Lancaster General’s HealthyWoman Program gave Yolonda Christian a helping hand to get the medical tests she needed.

When Yolonda Christian lost her job, her medical coverage disappeared with it.

Suddenly she found herself with no steady income and an urgent need to find a new job, all while caring for her ill mother.

Taking care of her own health needs, including important health tests like her annual pap smear, fell to the bottom of her priority list.

“I’ve had those tests every year, but this time, I just couldn’t afford to do it,” Yolonda says. “They were just going to have to wait.” Fortunately, a nurse at her doctor’s office suggested a possible solution: Lancaster General’s HealthyWoman Program.

The program provides important breast and cervical cancer testing for women with a low or moderate income who might otherwise have to delay these tests.

For Yolonda, a single 55-year-old Lancaster County resident, the program was just what she needed.
She met with Mary LeVasseur, Coordinator of the HealthyWoman Program at the Lancaster General Wellness Center, who determined that Yolanda qualified.

Each year, Lancaster General can provide aid for up to 80 women who require the testing, but have limited means to pay for them. A woman may be eligible if:

• she is over 50 years old, or under 50 and having breast and/or cervical problems, or hasn’t been screened in five years for cervical cancer
• she has no insurance or limited insurance that doesn’t cover breast and cervical cancer screening services, and
• if she has low to moderate income.

The program is funded through the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Yolonda’s testing was done by Linda Melville, PA, at Family Health Services at Lancaster General Hospital. Lancaster Radiology Associates and Lancaster Surgical Group also donate services to the HealthyWoman Program.

Thankfully, Yolanda’s results were favorable, however if there had been a problem, Mary said follow up diagnostic testing and treatment would be covered by the HealthyWoman Program.

“We want women to know that this program not only pays for the screening tests, but also covers her medical treatment if a problem is detected. If cancer is detected or a problem is found women can be enrolled into the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Program (BCCPT) which provides medical assistance so women can receive the treatment they need.” The HealthyWoman Program is part of Lancaster General’s comprehensive cancer care; from prevention education, to screening for early detection, treatment and beyond.

“Even though it was my first visit, it felt as if I’d always been going there.”

It was the care and treatment she experienced beyond that was what really made a difference in Yolanda’s life.

“I was going through a very stressful and emotional time,” she recalls. “Mary sensed that when I first met with her. From the moment I signed in until I left, everyone was so kind, and made sure I got the care I needed. I came in for the breast and cervical cancer testing, but they were able to help me with so much more.

“Even though it was my first visit, it felt as if I’d always been going there,” Yolonda says. “I made a lot of friends that day.

“I really think it was meant for me to be there,” she adds. Yolonda hopes that other women who face similar life challenges utilize the program, and she is happy to share her story with others. “If I can help even one woman get the treatment she needs, it’s worth it."

 

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