Texas Cancer Information - Access to Cancer Care for Low-Income and Uninsured Patients

Access to Cancer Care for Low-Income and Uninsured Patients

The new Access to Cancer Care for Low-Income and Uninsured Patients database is intended to reach low-income or uninsured Texans seeking free or low-cost cancer screening or treatment. Texas Cancer Information staff investigated procedures, contacts and clinic locations for screening and treatment for several Texas counties. Information on how to obtain cancer care services in each of these counties is now available for download in PDF format in simple language and question and answer format. Social workers or volunteer organizations can also print out this information to give to their clients.

Inclusion in any of the documents is not intended as an endorsement of any individual, provider, service or Web site.

If your county is not yet listed, please see the General Guidelines for Low-Income or Uninsured Texans Seeking Cancer Care below to help you find cancer care in your area.

The access to care documents are in PDF format. You will need the free Adobe(R) Acrobat(R) Reader to view the documents.

Access to Cancer Care for Low-Income and Uninsured Patients in the Following Counties:
General Guidelines for Low-Income or Uninsured Texans Seeking Cancer Care

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General Guidelines for Low-Income or Uninsured Texans Seeking Cancer Care

Access to Cancer Care for Low-Income and Uninsured Patients is a listing by county of healthcare services for low-income or uninsured Texans seeking cancer screening or treatment. If your county is not yet listed, please use the information below to find cancer care in your area.

To Find a Primary Care Clinic

To find out if there is a Primary Care clinic in your area where you might be able to receive cancer screening, please go to the following Web site of the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and select Texas, then your county, and click on Show me my health centers:

http://ask.hrsa.gov/pc/interim.cfm

For Women

If you are a woman and you want to get checked for cervical cancer or breast cancer, you may be able to get help through a special program called the Breast and Cervical Cancer Services (BCCS) at the Texas Department of State Health Services.

To have a PAP test for cervical cancer, you must be 18 to 64 years old.
To have a mammogram (breast cancer test), you must be 50 to 64 years old.
You will need to show how much money you make, so you may be asked to show a paycheck stub.

To find a clinic near you, please go to the following BCCS - Breast and Cervical Cancer Services Clinic Locator Web site:

http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/bcccs/locator.shtm

Cancer Centers

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has named three cancer centers in Texas as leaders in cancer research. Two of those centers are in Houston. These centers focus on finding new treatments for cancer through clinical trial testing. To find out more, please visit the Web sites or call the numbers below:

The Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine
(713) 798-1000
http://www.bcm.edu/cancercenter/

The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
1-877-MDA-6789 (1-877-632-6789)
http://www.mdanderson.org/contact_us/

San Antonio Cancer Institute
1-800-340-2872
http://saci.uthscsa.edu/PatientServices/index.html

The following University of Texas state hospitals may offer programs for low income, uninsured Texas residents. Please call to find out if you qualify:

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
Healthcare Hotline 1-800-917-8906.
(409) 772-6263
http://www.utmbhealthcare.org

The University Health Science Center at Tyler
(903) 877-5122
http://www.uthct.edu/patientcare/

Other hospitals and physicians in your area may also treat low-income or uninsured patients. You would need to contact them directly for more information.

For U.S. Military Veterans

If you are a U. S. military veteran, you may be able to be seen at a VA (Veterans Affairs) clinic. To find out more about veteran’s benefits, please contact:

Veterans Affairs
1-877-222-8387
http://www.va.gov/

Other Resources

There are many groups that help cancer patients. These groups may offer financial assistance, support services or free information about cancer. You can get a list of these groups from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) by clicking on or typing in the following link:
https://cissecure.nci.nih.gov/factsheet/FactsheetSearch.aspx?FSType=8.1

For more information, you may also call the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
The American Cancer Society (ACS) also has support groups and information about cancer. You may call 1-800-227-2345 or go to the website:
http://www.cancer.org/
The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) has information about financial assistance and support groups. Please call 1-866-235-7205 or visit the Web site:
http://www.livestrong.org
Susan G. Komen for the Cure, is a breast cancer helpline. Please call 1-800–462–9273 (1-800–I’M AWARE®) or visit the Web site:
http://www.komen.org
Visit the Texas Cancer Information Web site for lists of doctors, hospitals, breast and colon cancer screening services, home health agencies, and hospices. You can find support, counseling, education and other help such as transportation, housing and medical equipment by clicking on Support - Local/Community Resources at the top of the page.
http://www.texascancer.info