1200 West 4th Street, Suite C (Fed Ex)
Post Office Box 948
Tahlequah, Oklahoma 74465 (74464)
(918) 458-4491 office
(918) 458-6267 fax

Health Screening for Cherokee Women
Cherokee Nation Cancer Registry
Breast & Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program
Program Eligibility Criteria
Comprehensive Cancer Control

The Cherokee Nation Cancer Programs office is currently receiving Federal Funding for the following programs:

Cherokee Nation Cancer Registry

The Cherokee Nation Cancer Registry (CNCR) SEER funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI)/National Institutes of Health. The CNCR is an NCI Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program site. Cherokee Nation is the only American Indian Tribe receiving direct funding from NCI for the SEER program. Funding began in 1997.

The purpose of the project is to collect information on every case of cancer diagnosed in American Indians in the Cherokee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Service Area.

Through this type of surveillance, Cherokee Nation can better understand cancer patterns and how they affect our people. This information will be utilized to enhance cancer prevention and early detection in our clinics and hospitals and educate our communities about what cancers are affecting our population. The program funds a full time Cancer Registrar, a part-time Administrative Assistant, and a percentage of the Cancer Program Director’s position

Breast & Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program

The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) is a CDC-sponsored program to provide breast and cervical cancer screening, referral and follow up services to low-income women who are uninsured or underinsured. The program is authorized by the Breast and Cervical Cancer Mortality Prevention Act of 1990 (PL 101-354).

In 1993, this Act was amended to create CDC’s American Indian/Alaska Native Initiative. This Initiative provides funding directly to American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and tribal organizations to deliver comprehensive breast and cervical cancer screening services. Currently, Cherokee Nation is one of fifteen tribes and tribal organizations receiving this funding.

The Cherokee Nation Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program is funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Funding began in 1994.

The program provides funding to screen uninsured, low-income Native American women for breast and cervical cancer.

This program provides breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services, health education and outreach, and tracking and follow-up through expert cancer specific case management in collaboration with 11 rural health clinics, two Indian Health Service hospitals and one private community hospital to provide breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic health services throughout the Cherokee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Service Area. This includes two Creek Nation health facilities (Eufaula and Okmulgee). To be eligible for the program, enrollees must be between the ages of 40-64 for breast cancer screening and 18-64 for cervical cancer screening, and must not have Medicaid, Medicare (part B), or private insurance. They must also meet income guidelines of 250% of the Federal Poverty Level. The BCCEDP employs fifteen FTEs: a Program Director, a Cancer Case Manager Supervisor, eight Cancer Case Managers, two Data Entry Technicians, a Health Educator, a Cancer Program Specialist, and an Administrative Assistant/Budget Analyst.

The Cherokee Nation Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program began receiving funding in 1995 through a cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The program provides breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services, health education and outreach, and intensive tracking and follow-up through detailed nurse case management.

The program works through collaboration with ten rural health clinics and Indian Health Service Hospitals to provide screening and diagnostic health services throughout the Cherokee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Service Area.

If a patient meets the following guidelines, they are eligible to get an appointment at any program-participating clinic for a mammogram, clinical breast exam, and Pap test all on the same day to be paid for with program funds. She will receive in-depth breast and cervical cancer education by the program’s Health Educator and tracking and follow-up by the program’s Nurse Case Manager.

OHCA Press Release - The Oklahoma Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Program (BCCTP) will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2005, with eligible women receiving full Medicaid benefits for the duration of their cancer treatment.

In order to become eligible for Medicaid benefits, women must be screened for breast or cervical cancer under the Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (BCCEDP) and found to be in need of treatment for either breast or cervical cancer. The BCCEDP was established under Title XV of the Public Health Service Act.

Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Program - Effective January 1, 2005, the State of Oklahoma will provide Medicaid benefits to uninsured women under 65, who are identified through the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) and are in need of treatment for breast or cervical cancer (including pre-cancerous conditions and early stage cancer).

To get an appointment on a program clinic day please contact one of your participating Cherokee Nation Clinics :

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