Mammograms can help you find teeny cancers and save your life. If you can’t afford a mammogram, there are plenty of ways to get one for free.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Why get a mammogram? It can help you catch cancer super early. In fact, your odds of staying alive can be 98%.
If you can’t afford a mammogram, there’s help.
1) DUVAL COUNTY:
Call JaxCareConnect at 904-595-7770 if you do not have insurance. If you do, they can guide you to other locations.
2) DUVAL, CLAY, ST. JOHNS, NASSAU, PUTNAM AND BAKER COUNTIES:
These numbers take you to the Florida Breast and Cervical Cancer and Early Detection Program.
You may qualify for a free screening mammogram. And if you need care after a diagnosis, they can guide you through that process.
3) Also, you can check with these places:
–The Way Clinic in Clay County – 904-531-9504
–Aza Health in Clay and St. Johns County – 904-829-2782
–Barnabas Center in Nassau County – 904-261-7000
–MASS Clinic in Duval – 904-419-8006
The MASS Clinic (Muslim American Social Services) in Jacksonville, FL, provides free, comprehensive primary care, chronic disease management, and mental health services to uninsured Duval County residents aged 18+ or older. Services include: on-site labs, food pantry access, and radiology (X-rays/EKGs).
–WeCareJax in Jacksonville – 904-674-6450
WeCareJax (We Care Jacksonville) connects low-income, uninsured Duval County residents to free specialty healthcare by coordinating with volunteer physicians and hospital partners. Founded in 1993, the nonprofit helps patients access specialists, imaging, and diagnostic testing at little to no cost. [1, 2, 3] Primary Care Referrals can be found through JaxCareConnect (904-595-7770) or partner clinics. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Susan, in the photo above, was scared to get a mammogram. She told First Coast News she is 50 years old and has never had a mammogram. That’s risky for her, especially because her grandmother died from breast cancer. Susan should have started her mammograms at age 40. That means she’s missed ten years of mammograms, that is, a decade of opportunities to catch any breast cancer early.
Susan says she was scared because of “the machines,” and she’d heard it hurts and she was worried about the results. But through the MASS Clinic on St. Johns Bluff Road, she got a free mammogram on the Buddy Bus, the mobile mammography unit with Baptist Health. She came out in about 15 minutes with a big smile and said, “It didn’t hurt!”
Susan is now awaiting the results of her screening mammogram. But she made a smart choice, deciding to get her mammogram. Information can be life-saving, and Susan says she wants to stay alive for her granddaughter, Adalynn. Susan’s grandmother died before Susan was even born.
If you want to get a mammogram that’s fast and easy, sign up for the Buddy Bus to come to your work, church or group location. Just walk iinto the parking lot and get your mammogram in 10-20 minutes.
Here’s the official Baptist Health web page for the Buddy Bus, a project with Baptist Health and First Coast News.