Starting Sept. 1, 2026, the minimum age to be eligible for breast or cervical cancer screen services through the All Women Count! (AWC!) Program in South Dakota will drop from 30 to 21. According to the South Dakota Department of Health, beginning Sept. 1, cervical cancer screening through AWC! will be available to income-eligible South Dakota women ages 21 to 64. The change aligns the program eligibility with U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations. The Health Department says breast cancer diagnostic services eligibility is expanding to include women ages 21 to 29 who have a sign or symptom suspicious for breast cancer, such as a breast lump. Those women will be eligible for AWC! diagnostic services, if they meet the program’s income requirements. AWC! breast cancer services are available to: Women ages 40 to 64. Women ages 30 to 39 who are at high risk for breast cancer. Women ages 21 to 39 who have a sign or symptom suspicious for breast cancer. Women under age 40 who need a breast cancer screening or diagnostic service must receive pre-authorization from the AWC! Program before the service is provided. The AWC! Program provides breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services at no cost to eligible women through participating healthcare providers across South Dakota. The program serves women who are uninsured or underinsured and have a household income at or below 250 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. To learn more about the AWC! Program, including eligibility requirements and participating providers, visit GetScreenedSD.org/AWC or call 1-800-738-2301. ...read more read less