WALLINGFORD, Conn. — Gov. Ned Lamont and state health officials urged Connecticut women to get regular breast cancer screenings, and they highlighted a state program that provides mammograms at low or no cost to eligible patients.

Lamont, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani spoke at a news conference in Wallingford marking Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is recognized nationally in October. They said breast cancer is most treatable when it is caught early.

"If you are uninsured or underinsured, we can connect you with providers that will give you a mammogram at no cost," Lamont said.

The state Department of Public Health's Early Detection and Prevention Program offers breast and cervical cancer screening, diagnostic and treatment services to eligible women who are low-income, uninsured or underinsured, Juthani said. She said the program has delivered more than 16,000 mammograms over the past five years.

According to the governor's office, the program's services are available at 21 hospitals, 40 federally qualified health centers and 15 Planned Parenthood clinics, and about 5,000 residents are screened for breast cancer through it each year.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women be screened every other year from age 40 through 74.

Citing American Cancer Society estimates, the governor's office said 3,940 new breast cancer cases are expected in Connecticut in 2026. It said the state's 2023 rate of 147.5 cases per 100,000 women was the highest in the country, compared with a national rate of 133.8, and attributed the figure to screenings detecting more cancers.

Information on the program is available at ct.gov/dph/screening or by calling 860-509-7804.

This brief was drafted by AI from a public agency or political press release and published by The New England Signal. Why we use AI for stories like this one.