FERRIDAY — A local hospital is working with the state to help reduce the risk of undetected cancer in the area.

Riverland Medical Center — along with several others — has become a partner with the Central Louisiana Area Health Education Center to use a grant from the Department of Health and Hospitals to provide breast and cervical cancer screening to local uninsured women.

“Because of the cancer rate in the state, the DHH is putting a lot of emphasis on cancer research and early detection and making sure people who can’t afford to get tests done get them done,” Riverland Medical Center Administrator Vernon Stevens said.

The screenings will be available for uninsured women from Concordia Parish through June 30 and will be done at the Riverland Family Clinic at 201 Serio Blvd.

The patient will first go to the family clinic for the initial physical exam, and while they are there they will receive information about cancer and instruction on how to perform a self-exam.

Once the physical exam is completed, the patient will schedule a mammogram through the hospital.

If anything shows up on the mammogram, the grant has follow-up funds for a biopsy test, and if further treatment is needed it would be scheduled through the LSU hospital system, Stevens said.

“We want to get them in and have at least an initial baseline (of tests) done,” he said.

As part of the grant, the Central Louisiana AHEC will have an outreach worker assigned to the area who will contact local groups and clubs to give presentations.

To schedule a screening, patients should call the Riverland Family Health Clinic.

“We are trying to make it as simple as possible for everybody,” Outreach Worker Katie Stevens said. “They just call (the clinic) and schedule an appointment.”

The clinic can be reached at 318-757-8010, and patients should ask for Katie Stevens or Robin Myers to make an appointment.