Ossoff, Lummis launch bipartisan push to help more veterans access breast cancer screenings

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WALB) - Sen. Jon Ossoff and Sen. Cynthia Lummis worked with several senators to launch a bipartisan push to help more veterans access breast cancer screenings.

Ossoff and Lummis worked with Sen. Mazie Hirono, Sen. Thom Tillis, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

The senators called on the Department of Veterans Affairs to put more resources toward expanding access to mobile mammography units, improving advanced mammography equipment and enhancing outreach services to better publicize mammography services.

Ossoff heard from veterans across Georgia about their lack of access to breast cancer screenings, especially for female veterans in rural areas. According to the National Library of Medicine, female veterans are nearly three times more likely to develop invasive breast cancer than the rest of the population.

“Access to screening for breast cancer saves lives. No veteran should have to wait for months, drive for hours, or wade through red tape to get a mammogram when they need one,” the senators said in the letter to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. “We must prioritize mammography services and ensure that every veteran has access to the comprehensive care they need across our country, including the regular mammograms that are a critical component of women’s medical care.”