Open Door Family Medical Center Secures Extra Funds For Ongoing Cancer Screenings

November 29, 2023

Open Door Family Medical Center has received a new grant from New York State Department of Health to continue to cover the cost of breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screenings.

The screenings for eligible patients over the next five years as part of the New York State Cancer Services Program (CSP).

Over the past five years, Open Door has provided these services through CSP to an estimated 6,000 patients a year who live in New York State, meet age requirements and lack health insurance or who have health insurance that would make the cost of cancer screenings and diagnostic services prohibitive.  The screenings include: for cervical cancer, a pap test and pelvic exam for women ages 40 and older; for breast cancer, a mammogram and clinical breast exam for women ages 40 and older and those younger with a high risk for breast cancer; for colorectal cancer, an at-home Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) Kit for those 45 and older and a colonoscopy for those at increased or higher risk or whose lab findings from the FIT kit test are abnormal.

Those patients who are diagnosed with cancer can be enrolled by CSP staff in the Medicaid Cancer Treatment Program or Emergency Medicaid for coverage of care.

“Early diagnosis is key,” said Sara Hodgdon, Director of CSP Operations at Open Door. “Colorectal and cervical cancers can be prevented with early screenings and with breast cancer, early diagnosis often results in far better outcomes.”

Open Door’s Patient Advocates and Patient Navigators assist patients through the screening process by helping with CSP enrollment paperwork, scheduling appointments, securing transportation to appointments and coordinating care between the medical providers involved. 

The new five-year CSP program will reach out to specific populations with higher rates of cancer.  This includes the LGBTQ+ community.


The New York State Cancer Services Program grant will continue to be administered by Hudson Information Technology for Community Health (HITCH), the organization created by Open Door through partnerships with two other Federally Qualified Health Centers in the Lower Hudson Valley, Sun River Health and the Institute for Family Health. Coverage is available through CSP of the Hudson Valley for eligible individuals residing in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester Counties. Other CSP programs throughout the state provide coverage for residents of other counties.

For more information, contact the CSP of the Hudson Valley directly by calling 914-488-6400.


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
We're your source for local coverage, we count on your support. SUPPORT US!
Your support is crucial in maintaining a healthy democracy and quality journalism. With your contribution, we can continue to provide engaging news and free access to all.
accepted credit cards

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles