Grant helping clinics offer free breast exams

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) - Tapestry Health is now offering free breast exams, thanks to a state grant that is helping the chain of clinics serve more women.

Close to 40,000 women die from breast cancer every year, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , breast cancer screenings help detect the disease earlier by checking for cancer before there are signs or symptoms.

A state Department of Public Health grant means that Tapestry Health's eight clinics can now offer some women free screenings.  Medical experts say mammograms should be a yearly routine for women over the age of 40. 

Assistant Director of Health Services Ann Poole says that the program helps women understand the exams and coordinate care.

“If they qualify, being uninsured and earning under a certain amount of money, it helps to pay for those services, mammograms, ultrasounds, other breast imaging services,” Poole said.

To find out if you qualify, visit Tapestry’s website at tapestryhealth.org