Skip to content
Cancer Prevention & Control

Best Chance Network: Helping women get check-ups for breast and cervival cancer

The Best Chance Network (BCN) provides free breast and cervical cancer screening for medically underserved women in South Carolina who:

  • Lack insurance or have insurance that only covers hospital care
  • Are between the ages of 40 and 64, and
  • Meet certain income guidelines.

The goal of the network is to reduce deaths from breast and cervical cancer by catching these cancers early. According to national and state statistics:

  • Breast cancer is the leading cancer diagnosed among women in this country and second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death.
  • Breast and cervical cancers are often detected too late. If found while still localized, the five year survival rates are 98 percent and 92 percent respectively.
  • South Carolina has one of the highest rates of uninsured women in the nation.

Services

BCN services include:

  • Mammograms
  • Clinical breast exams
  • Pap tests
  • Pelvic exams
  • Diagnostic procedures
  • Case management
  • Community education on breast/cervical cancer and early detection.

Enrolling in the Program

If you think you or someone you know may qualify for breast and cervical cancer screening through this program, please call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 and ask about the Best Chance Network.

Income Eligibility Guidelines

SC - BREAST & CERVICAL CANCER EARLY DETECTION PROGRAM
BEST CHANCE NETWORK
INCOME ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES FOR THE PERIOD OF
6/30/08 – 6/30/09
Family Size
Scale < 200%
Annual Income
1
$20,800 or less
2
$28,800 or less
3
$35,200 or less
4
$42,400 or less
5
$49,600 or less
Note: Add $7,200 for each additional family member.
 Family size and income are reviewed annually.


BCN Funding

The Best Chance Network is funded by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and through state funds allocated by the S.C. Legislature.  The CDC has financially supported the National Breast and Cervical Caner Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) since 1991, and state funds have supported the BCN since 2008.

BCN Partners

BCN is a network of public and private partnerships. More than 250 health care providers offer screening and follow up services. BCN partners include:

  • Federally-funded primary care centers in the S.C. Primary Health Care Association
  • Private physicians, including surgeons and gynecologists
  • Laboratories
  • University sponsored clinics
  • Free clinics
  • Regional medical centers
  • Radiology facilities.

Milestones for BCN

  • Since1995, the American Cancer Society (ACS), South-Atlantic Division, has worked  with DHEC to help coordinate BCN services with providers, recruit eligible women into the program, and provide professional education for the program. DHEC oversees BCN administration and management, contractual agreements for screening and follow-up services, case management, quality assurance, tracking, surveillance, and program evaluation.

 View BCN contract information.
View BCN Clinical Protocols.

  • In October 2000, Congress passed the Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act, which provides federal matching funds for treatment of women screened through the BCN program. 
  • In 2001, South Carolina allocated state funds to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to provide Medicaid coverage for women that were screened by the NBCCEDP funded Best Chance Network. This Medicaid coverage includes treatment of breast cancer, cervical cancer, and pre-cancerous breast and cervical conditions.
  • In July 2005, the S.C. Legislature appropriated funds to expand Medicaid coverage for breast and cervical cancer treatment. The expansion means that any woman ages 18 to 64 who has been diagnosed with breast and/or cervical cancer and meets the income or other eligibility guidelines may be eligible for Medicaid.  For more information, visit http://www.dhhs.state.sc.us/
  • In 2008 and 2009, the S.C. State Legislature appropriated $2 million to expand the Best Chance Network. The state funds allow the program to expand age eligibility and to screen more women throughout the state

National Report on Early Detection Program

National Report on the National Breast & Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program: 1991-2002 (88 pages - PDF – 921 KB)  The CDC summarizes the first 12 years the National Breast & Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP). The report covers the program's framework, history, and future direction, and it includes data on breast and cervical cancer screening outcomes for the women served through the program.

Contact Us

Mary Kelly, Quality Assurance Coordinator - (803) 545-4102
Jan Viars, Program Director - (803) 545-4145

Division of Cancer Prevention and Control
Bureau of Community Health and Chronic Disease Prevention
SC DHEC
1800 St. Julian Place
Columbia, SC 29204