Improving Access, Decreasing Barriers: Spotlighting the Ohio Department of Health Breast and Cervical Cancer Project

By Gretchen McNally, Christin Brown, Laura Litwin / March 18, 2026

Gretchen McNally, PhD, MPH, ANP-BC, AOCNP, of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Christin Brown, MBOE, LSW, RN, of the American Oncology Network, joined Cancer Nursing Today to discuss the importance of breast and cervical cancer screening programs across the country and how the Ohio Department of Health Breast and Cervical Cancer Project (BCCP) is expanding cancer screening access across the state.

Dr. McNally and Ms. Brown highlighted how the BCCP provides critical resources to underserved communities, how Ohio’s program “takes it a step further” with its diagnostic and screening capabilities, and the key role oncology nurses and patient navigators play in connecting patients with the care they need.

Read the transcript below and watch the video above to learn more.

This transcript has been edited for clarity.

TRANSCRIPT:

Dr. McNally: The BCCP, Breast and Cervical Cancer Program, really improves access and decreases barriers by providing no-cost screening to people, and the people that really benefit from this are underserved populations. When we think of underserved populations, populations that cervical cancer has the worst outcomes in, that includes racial and ethnic minorities, people of color, and those of lower socioeconomic status or education.

There are rural and geographic barriers BCCP can help with, and larger academic comprehensive cancer centers, such as The James where I work, can coordinate with community centers and offer outreach. Bringing these screenings to people where they are really helps to improve access and decrease those barriers.

How can oncology nurses leverage BCCP resources to help patients who are underinsured or without insurance access screenings?

Ms. Brown: BCCP is managed differently in all 50 states. It’s funded by the Centers for Disease Control, but it is in all 50 States, including Ohio where we are. It is a very liberal guideline because to qualify, you have to be an Ohio resident, but the federal poverty guideline to meet that criteria is 300%.

It’s 300% of the federal poverty guideline, which is much higher than what the requirement is for our state’s Medicaid program, which is around 137% of the federal property guideline, but Ohio also takes it a step further. They don’t just pay for screening; they pay for the diagnostics, and should that patient need to follow up with a cancer screening for cervical cancer, it flips into Ohio Medicaid and then pays for the cost of care once someone is diagnosed. That’s just extraordinary.

As oncology nurses, it is our responsibility to know that those resources exist. When someone is afraid, for many reasons, to get a cancer screening, specifically a cervical cancer screening, they’re afraid of, “What happens if I am diagnosed? I may not have insurance. I may not have the resources to pay for the cost of care.” That’s where BCCP comes in, and in Ohio, it will pay for the cost of care.

What role does patient navigation play in expanding access to lifesaving oncology care through the BCCP?

Ms. Brown: I’ve been a nurse in this field for over 25 years. Healthcare is incredibly complex, and we’re disjointed. In working in this space, healthcare has become more difficult to manage than ever. Hence, we’ve got community health workers and nurse navigators and social work navigators that help people not only make their way through the system but connect them with their providers because we aren’t always connected. It’s vital to have that navigation piece.

What I love about the Breast and Cervical Cancer Program is that within the state of Ohio, there are 88 counties, but it’s split into four regions, and there are navigators that you can call in each area. You can call a 1-800 number and connect to a breast or cervical cancer navigator, and they can identify the closest screening center to you. They can enroll you in the program and make sure that everything is good and that the vouchers are sent to the facility.

That’s the beauty of it. The facility that does the screening or the treatment—they’re going to get paid. To me, it just seems like it’s a win-win for everyone. We’re improving healthcare outcomes. We are reaching those most in need. The agencies, the companies, the federal medical facilities, and the providers are getting reimbursed.

We need to know more. We need to understand more. We need people to know that the BCCP exists. As someone who as a nurse and as a social worker, I recognize that  it is our responsibility to know those things when you specifically work in community health or public health.

Dr. McNally: Patient navigation is just awesome. For myself, for instance, I am a healthcare professional. I’m well educated, but if I was going through a cancer diagnosis or any major health diagnosis, I would be overwhelmed with appointments, information, and trying to get transportation. Having a navigator, and often a nurse navigator, to help remind you of appointment scheduling, transportation, and all of those arrangements is incredible.

I’m not surprised that navigation has been shown consistently to improve outcomes and to help people adhere to the schedule for screening diagnosis recommendations, which ensures a timely diagnosis and then connects people from completing their diagnostic workup to initiating treatment. We know that delays lead to more advanced cancer and worse outcomes. Navigation really helps everyone across the board, especially those populations that are considered underserved and those who really need it and benefit the most from it.

How do multidisciplinary care teams strengthen and contribute to breast and cervical cancer programs and prevention efforts?

Ms. Brown: I could be in the space and do as many community events as possible, and I’ve got registration tools. I can educate and register people, but the big thing is that network, so it’s great for the Ohio Department of Health to know what providers are available and who will accept the BCCP’s insurance. It’s not just about getting someone enrolled and knowing where to send them for screening. Say they need a further diagnostic workup, or there is an abnormality and they need a colposcopy, which is a biopsy of the cervix. Where do they go? Is there a provider that will take that BCCP voucher? And now that they need treatment, where do they go and who takes that voucher?

It takes a village, and that network is so important. Part of what we are doing is helping to educate others, especially providers, on what it means to be enrolled in this network so we can focus on improving healthcare outcomes.

Dr. McNally: I see oncology, or cancer care, as a team sport or team science, and it takes all kinds of interdisciplinary professionals who all have a different piece or role. Oncology nurses are excellent because they can communicate between the disciplines and bring people together. We might have the physician who is helping to determine what testing or what treatment is needed and the nurse or the advanced practice professional who is helping with system management or connecting the patient with a social worker. You have the pharmacist who’s checking not only that treatment for the patient’s cancer but any other drugs or medications that could help their symptoms and other side effects—as well as a dietitian and physical and occupational therapy. It really is a team sport and a village, as Christin said.

Oncology nurses are great to make sure everyone talks to each other because there are all these other people on the team, but they don’t all talk to each other directly. I think of the nurse, the oncology nurse, as being like the interpreter or the connector between all these different areas.