Health program offers free services to women

BeWise offers several screenings to monitor general health, free of charge, for income eligible women ages 50-64.

Eligible women throughout Utah County can now receive free medical services offered by BeWise, a program funded by the Utah Cancer Control Program (UCCP). These services are available through the Women’s Cancer Screening Clinic at the Utah County Health Department.

BeWise services are for women ages 50-64 whose eligibility is determined by household size and income. Women may take advantage of several screenings to monitor general health, free of charge. Since 2009, over 500 women have received these screenings in Utah County. About 40 percent were referred to doctors to receive follow-up care.

“We offer women who qualify the opportunity to get free screenings from bilingual female registered nurses” said Jackie Black, bureau director. “BeWise makes it easy for women to get the screenings they need for healthy living.”

According to program statistics, one in three women have some form of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. BeWise was developed as a prevention and take-action program. Since the program started nationally in 1995, more than 84,000 women have been helped to reduce their risk of heart disease.

For years, UCCP has offered clinical breast exams, pelvic exams pap tests, a voucher for a free mammogram, and treatment referral when needed. In 2009, UCCP added even more services, including tests for blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, and body mass indexing. These services are often followed by a risk reduction session and lifestyle intervention which provides nutrition education and physical activity information. Follow up services include telephone intervention and mini health fairs with presentations on cardiac disease, exercise, healthy eating and cooking, diabetes prevention, smoking and other health issues.

Guidelines for eligibility can be found at www.UtahCountyHealth.org/BeWise, while questions and appointments can be made by calling 801-851-7031 for Spanish and 801-851-7038 for English.

The Utah County Health Department seeks to promote health, and prevent avoidable disease and injury by monitoring the health of our community, and assuring conditions in which people can be healthy. For details about UCHD programs or services, please visit www.UtahCountyHealth.org or call 801-851-7000. The UCHD is also now on FaceBook as well as Twitter.