It's the key to survival many men and women cannot afford.

Carolyn Mitchell, 47, received her first ever breast cancer screening and mammogram a month ago. It’s a lifesaving preventative she otherwise could not have afforded.

“I wasn’t able to be financially able to do for myself,” Mitchell explained.

Mitchell received the services at Access Esperanza Clinic, which is offering free breast cancer screenings and mammograms for the uninsured in all its Hidalgo County locations through August 31.

“We feel very happy and very glad to help people because mammograms save lives,” Access Esperanza Executive Director Patricio Gonzalez said.

The free screenings and mammograms are being made through $175,000 in additional funding that the clinic received from the state.

"This is the first time we got additional funding from the Women's Health Program from the state of Texas,” Gonzalez said. 

In Hidalgo County alone, more than 240,000 people are uninsured, according to the latest census data.

Nearly 300 people have been screened by the clinics since May.

To make an appointment to get screened, or to see if you qualify, call 956-688-3700.

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