Fighting Cervical Cancer:
Proactive Mercy Program Serves Siouxland Women
 Earlier this year, Mercy Medical Center—Sioux City launched a major health initiative to protect as many young women as possible from cervical cancer by educating them on the availability of a new vaccine and, in some cases, paying for the cost of that vaccine.
Since its inception on Feb. 1, that special program has served hundreds of young women who say they otherwise would not have been able to afford the series of three vaccinations.
“As a very proactive measure in fighting disease and preventing the number two cancer killer in women, this initiative demonstrates Mercy’s servant leadership in Siouxland,” said Dr. Larry Sellers, Mercy’s chief medical officer. “Our effort seeks to raise awareness about the cancer-preventing benefits of this new vaccine. The impetus for this effort also centers on ready, equal access to the vaccine.”
Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last summer, the vaccine, Gardasil™, protects young females from four strains of the human papillomarvirus (HPV), including the two strains responsible for about 70% of all cervical cancer cases. Clinical trials have shown that Gardasil prevents virtually all cases of cervical cancer related to those two HPV strains in women who had not been previously infected.
Mercy’s effort to make sure as many young women between the ages of 9 and 26 in the Siouxland area can realize the potentially life-saving benefits of Gardasil vaccinations is being supported by a $500,000 gift received by Mercy last November from Siouxland businessman Mark Nylen and his wife, Mary Ellen.
Mercy has placed special emphasis on making vaccinations available to young women ages 19 to 26 because the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program in Iowa makes Gardasil available for the families of children in certain groups who can't afford to buy vaccines. A program in South Dakota will make the vaccine available free of charge to all young women ages 11 to 18.
If a young woman is covered by a private insurance plan or government program that will pay for the series of three vaccinations, Mercy asks that she or her family help the hospital conserve funding available through Mercy’s program for those who do not have insurance coverage, do not qualify for the VFC program, and do not otherwise have the ability to pay for the vaccinations themselves.
“Young women or their parents are first urged to check with their insurance company to see if Garadsil is covered under their medical plan,” explained Sellers. “There should be a phone number on the back of your insurance card to call for benefits questions. Your insurance company may ask for a CPT code. That code is 90649.”
“If you determine that your insurance plan covers the Gardasil vaccine cost, please contact your family physician’s office and make an appointment to discuss receiving the series of three Gardasil vaccinations.”
“If you discover that your medical plan does not cover the cost of the vaccine, please call one of Mercy's clinics to see how grant money that is available for a limited time might be able to help you or your daughter get vaccinated,” Sellers added.
In the immediate Sioux City area, vaccinations are available at the Midtown Mercy Medical Clinic, the Singing Hills Mercy Medical Clinic, and Mercy Urgent Care in Sioux City, and the South Sioux City Mercy Medical Clinic in South Sioux City, Neb.
Vaccinations are also available at Mercy-owned family practice medical clinics in the rural Iowa communities of Akron, Anthon, Correctionville, Hartley, Kingsley, Mapleton, Paullina, Primghar, and Sutherland. In Nebraska, vaccinations under the program will be available at Mercy’s clinics in Bancroft, Beemer, Emerson, Laurel, Lyons, Oakland, Pender, Wakefield, Wayne, and Wisner. The Hawarden Community Clinic in Hawarden, Iowa, which is managed by Mercy, is also participating in the program.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted unanimously last June to recommend that girls and women 11 to 26 years old be vaccinated with Gardasil to prevent cervical cancer, precancerous and low-grade lesions, and genital warts. The Committee recommended that the vaccine be administered to 11- and 12-year-old females and to females aged 13 to 26 who have not previously been vaccinated, and that nine- and 10-year-old females can be vaccinated with Gardasil at the discretion of their physicians.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) called the FDA’s approval of Gardasil “one of the most important advances in women’s health in recent years.” The ACS estimates that in 2007, almost 10,000 cases of invasive cervical cancer will occur to American women, resulting in 3,700 deaths. Cervical cancer will kill hundreds of thousands more women worldwide.
Healthcare providers at Mercy emphasize that vaccination with Gardasil does not eliminate the need for regular screening for cervical cancer.
For more information about Gardasil, cervical cancer, and HPV vaccination, visit www.gardasil.com. For information about the Mercy Cervical Cancer Vaccination program, visit the hospital’s Web site at www.mercysiouxcity.com.
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