TITLE:title
Budget Amendment - Additional Funding for Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening and/or Diagnostic Services
body
INFORMATION CONTACT:
Traci Colley, Human Services Agency, Public Health Department, Director, 704-296-4801
ACTION REQUESTED:
1) Recognize, receive and appropriate $8,125 in additional funding from the North Carolina Division of Public Health, FY25-26 Agreement Addendum 452 Breast and Cervical Cancer; and 2) approve Budget Amendment #17.
PRIOR BOARD ACTIONS:
None.
BACKGROUND:
In the United States, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women. It is the leading cause of cancer death in Hispanic women and the second most common cause of cancer death among white, black, Asian/Pacific Island, and American Indian/Alaska Native women. In 2021, the U.S. incidence of breast cancer was 129.4 per 100,000 women and the mortality was 19.3 per 100,000 women. In 2024, an estimated 310,720 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed among U.S. women, as well as an estimated 56,500 additional cases of in situ breast cancer. In 2024, approximately 42,250 U.S. women are expected to die from breast cancer. Only lung cancer accounts for more cancer deaths. In North Carolina, an estimated 12,724 new female breast cancer cases (in-situ cases included) will be diagnosed in 2024, resulting in 1,544 deaths.
Cervical cancer, once the leading cause of death for women in the U.S., has significantly decreased in incidence and mortality since the mid-1970s due to an increase in Pap tests being conducted. Between 2016 and 2020, the incidence of cervical cancer was 7.7 per 100,000 women. While cervical cancer incidence and mortality continue to decrease, both are considerably higher among Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black women. In 2024, an estimated 13,820 new cases are expected to be diagnosed, with an estimated 4,360 women expected to die from cervical cancer. In North Carolina, an estimated 418 cervical cancer cases will be diagnosed in 2024 resulting in 137 deaths.
The most recent available data shows 130,352 uninsured women are eligible for breast cancer screening and diagnostic follow-up and 261,417 uninsured women are eligible for cervical cancer screening and diagnostic follow-up in North Carolina.
The North Carolina Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program (NC BCCCP) began in North Carolina in 1992 and continues to provide services to underserved North Carolina women. Funding is received through a competitive grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This program was the first chronic disease screening program funded in the United States.
The NC BCCCP is a screening program and does not provide funds for treatment. However, patients enrolled in NC BCCCP and provided with at least one screening and/or diagnostic service prior to diagnosis may be eligible to receive Breast and Cervical Cancer Medicaid (BCCM) to cover acute treatment services for breast and cervical cancers and eligible precancerous breast and cervical findings and for reconstruction surgeries. Additionally, patients who are diagnosed outside of NC BCCCP with breast and/or cervical cancer and/or precancerous lesions and who meet NC BCCCP and NCDHHS Department of Health Benefits eligibility may receive assistance to apply for BCCM by a local NC BCCCP provider.
The goal of NC BCCCP is to reduce the morbidity and mortality due to breast and cervical cancers in individuals by providing breast and cervical cancer screening services, diagnostic services, and patient navigation services for eligible underserved individuals of North Carolina.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The County is awarded $8,125 from the North Carolina Division of Public Health through the Chronic Disease and Injury Section / Cancer Prevention and Control Branch for use by May 31, 2026. No County match is required.