Estimates from Census 2000 data for Michigan reveal that more than 375,000 women are eligible for the statewide Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program (BCCCP). However, recruiting women eligible for the BCCCP is a difficult and time-consuming activity, and only about 15 percent of all eligible Michigan women have ever been served through the program.

Early detection of breast and cervical cancer is the key to survival. With regular screening, breast and cervical cancer are more likely to be detected at an earlier stage, when they are most treatable. Breast cancer screening services include the clinical breast exam and mammogram. The Pap test is the most commonly used cervical cancer screening method.

About the Free2Be Campaign
In an effort to address the problem of eligible Michigan women underutilizing BCCCP services, the American Cancer Society (ACS), Great Lakes Division Inc., and the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) Cancer Prevention and Control Section joined forces to publicize the program throughout the state.

The objectives of the Free2Be project were to inform eligible women about the BCCCP and to raise Michigan women's awareness of the importance of breast and cervical cancer screening. The project's ultimate goal was to increase the number of women enrolled in the Michigan BCCCP.

The ACS, MDCH, and media consultant partner created an original, colorful, and culturally inclusive logo with the slogans "Free to be YOU," "Free to be HEALTHY," and "Free to be CANCER-FREE." The campaign featured a toll-free telephone number and a brief description of BCCCP services.

The ACS Teleservice Department answered the calls to the toll-free number. ACS telephone bank staffers were trained to respond to incoming Free2Be calls and were instructed to "warm transfer" each age-eligible caller to her local BCCCP office. Other calls were directed to the ACS national call center or to the appropriate local ACS field office. ACS staffers also compiled and reported data regarding the number and nature of the Free2Be calls they received.

The campaign was launched at the state capitol and included speeches by the mayor of Lansing, BCCCP Program and ACS representatives, and a breast cancer surgeon. The ACS also conducted a breast cancer radio tour that reached more than 200 radio stations in the state.

A morning anchorwoman from a metropolitan Detroit television station provided extensive coverage of the BCCCP on her show and visited selected Detroit churches to promote the program. The ACS Teleservice Department experienced a considerable increase in call volume as a result of this Detroit-area coverage.

MDCH also included Free2Be project flyers in mailings sent to 775,000 Medicaid clients statewide during September and October 2002. After each mailing, the volume of calls to the ACS call center increased dramatically.

In addition, project partners also mailed information promoting the BCCCP to 7,700 health care providers throughout the state; produced and placed public service announcements on radio stations statewide; and placed billboard advertisements featuring the Free2Be logo, slogan, and toll-free number in high-density markets.

Impact of the Campaign
The six-month multifaceted campaign generated 2,850 calls to the special toll-free number and resulted in 404 new BCCCP enrollments across the state. One invasive breast cancer was detected. Among this group, no women were diagnosed with cervical cancer or pre-cancer, although two less serious cervical abnormalities were detected.

To Learn More
For more information about the project, contact Paulette M. Valliere, PhD, Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program, Washington Square Building, 5th Floor, 109 Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI 48913 (phone: 517-335-8049; fax: 517-335-9397; e-mail: vallierep@michigan.gov).

last updated: 11/20/05