Virginia Department of Health cancer staff told the Commission on Women's Health that breast and cervical cancers remain important preventable causes of morbidity and that both geographic and racial disparities persist across the Commonwealth.

Jackie Knight, a cancer epidemiologist at VDH, summarized the state's cancer surveillance system and current patterns of incidence and mortality. VDH reported that breast, lung and colorectal cancers are the top incident cancers among females; lung, breast and colorectal account for the most deaths. VDH's maps show higher late‑stage breast diagnoses and breast cancer mortality concentrated in Southwestern and South Central Virginia; cervical incidence is higher in the Southern health districts with mortality concentrated in the Southwest.

Knight highlighted a racial disparity in breast cancer mortality: Black non‑Hispanic females die of breast cancer at a higher rate than white non‑Hispanic females (reported rate ratio ~1.37). She also described insurance patterns: more breast cancer diagnoses occur in age groups commonly covered by Medicare, while cervical cancer diagnoses skew younger and include a larger Medicaid share.

Christina Benton briefed commissioners on Every Woman's Life (EWL), the state's CDC‑funded breast and cervical screening program. EWL eligibility requires Virginia residency, age 18–64, uninsured status and household income at or below 250% of the federal poverty level; women 18–39 must be high risk or symptomatic to qualify. The program contracts with 27 lead providers and a broader network of more than 500 local providers; since 1997 the program has served more than 76,000 women and performed over 150,000 breast screenings.

Benton said the FY26 federal award for EWL is roughly $3.3 million and that 83 percent of those federal dollars go to community clinical costs for screening and diagnostics. EWL served roughly 6,000–7,100 women per year and maintains an interactive provider map on the VDH website.

VDH staff discussed screening metrics from the All Payers Claims Database and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. For 2024, claims data showed 67.8 percent of those eligible completed a breast cancer screening and 53.2 percent completed cervical screening; survey data show lower adherence among Medicaid enrollees and uninsured people for breast screening.

Commission members asked about suppressed small‑cell data for cervical cancer and about screening guideline changes that reduced Pap frequency for many patients; VDH staff said dashboards will expand race/ethnicity breakdowns where feasible and that suppression rules protect privacy for small counts.

Why it matters: VDH data identify regions and populations with disproportionate late‑stage diagnosis and higher mortality, providing focal points for outreach and resource allocation. EWL is a key safety‑net program but its reach is limited by funding and federal grant timing.

What the commission heard: VDH recommended improved data capture, attention to geographic maternity-care deserts, and maintenance of federal and state support for screening and follow-up services.