The Wisconsin Well Woman Program
Health care safety net
Health care safety net
have your family doctor and call the clinic because sometimes the nurse can tell you what you need to know and have the answer for your questions. Or the
doctor will tell the nurse and the nurse will tell you instead of going to the ER. This is a very important connection. If every single woman is part of the Well
Woman Program, then every single woman will have a family doctor. And that is so important.”
Cardozo was very impressed with the Wisconsin Well Woman Program. “For me, everything was wonderful,” Cardozo emphasized. “The attention when I
called to ask for anything was wonderful. Even when you forget, they call you and tell you a few days before to remind you to not forget to go to your doctor’s
appointment or to go to your mammography test. They even send you the paperwork. Now we even have a card to present to the doctor when we go. So next
year when I go, I will take it with me because it will make it so much easier. Something that is so important is that there is always someone to interpret for us. So
when we arrive at the clinic, the interpreter is already waiting for us, always, always.”
While Cardozo has used the Wisconsin Well Woman Program as a gateway to the health care system, Kari Sievert, Dane County’s Well Woman Program
coordinator, emphasized that the program pays for a limited number of services. “The Well Woman Program is strictly a breast and cervical cancer screening
program for women,” Sievert said. “We’re not at all like insurance. We only provide breast and cervical cancer screening services. We have a set list of covered
services that we can pay for. These services are available to eligible women. In order for women to be eligible, they need to be over the age of 35, either
without insurance, or they have insurance that doesn’t cover annual check-ups or insurance that has high deductibles or co-pays that make it difficult for women
to access services. The third eligibility criterion is income. It is based on household income. For example, a woman living by herself would be a household size
of one and she can earn up to $26,000 and still be eligible for the program. And household size of two is $35,000 and it goes up from there.”
The Well Woman Program does not provide services directly. The services are provided through many private and public clinics that participate in the
program. The Well Woman Program reimburses the clinics for the eligible services that they perform. Among those clinics working with the program are UW
Hospital and Clinics, UW Health, UW Family Practice, Dean Clinics and some of the smaller, more community-based clinics like Wildwood Family Practice and
Access Community Health Center.
“We do all of our enrollments on the phone and by mail,” Cardozo said. “We spend about 10-15 minutes on the phone with a woman. We determine if she is
eligible. We complete the enrollment paperwork. We talk to her about which clinic she would like to go to for services and then we mail an enrollment packet to
her that is specific to the clinic of her choice. Then that packet gives her information about what services are covered. It gives her a letter with instructions about
how to schedule her appointment directly with the clinic of her choice. And it also gives her some paperwork to take with her when she goes in for those
appointments. And all of our enrollment and materials are obviously available in Spanish. We have two Spanish speakers here that work with the Spanish
speaking women in the program. And they can help them make appointments or help facilitate in any way that the Spanish speaking women might need.”
Cardozo is eager to let other Spanish speaking women know about the service. “It is important that people know the phone numbers,” Cardozo said. “Dr.
Tellez-Guiron had a little conference at one of the churches and I went there. And just talking to other women, I realized that they didn’t know about the
program. And I am just amazed that women don’t know. It is so important for them to know it.”
For more information about the Wisconsin Well Woman Program or to enroll, call Kari at 242-6392 for an English speaker or Jeannette at 242-6235 for a Spanish
speaker. All services of the Wisconsin Well Woman Program are confidential.
doctor will tell the nurse and the nurse will tell you instead of going to the ER. This is a very important connection. If every single woman is part of the Well
Woman Program, then every single woman will have a family doctor. And that is so important.”
Cardozo was very impressed with the Wisconsin Well Woman Program. “For me, everything was wonderful,” Cardozo emphasized. “The attention when I
called to ask for anything was wonderful. Even when you forget, they call you and tell you a few days before to remind you to not forget to go to your doctor’s
appointment or to go to your mammography test. They even send you the paperwork. Now we even have a card to present to the doctor when we go. So next
year when I go, I will take it with me because it will make it so much easier. Something that is so important is that there is always someone to interpret for us. So
when we arrive at the clinic, the interpreter is already waiting for us, always, always.”
While Cardozo has used the Wisconsin Well Woman Program as a gateway to the health care system, Kari Sievert, Dane County’s Well Woman Program
coordinator, emphasized that the program pays for a limited number of services. “The Well Woman Program is strictly a breast and cervical cancer screening
program for women,” Sievert said. “We’re not at all like insurance. We only provide breast and cervical cancer screening services. We have a set list of covered
services that we can pay for. These services are available to eligible women. In order for women to be eligible, they need to be over the age of 35, either
without insurance, or they have insurance that doesn’t cover annual check-ups or insurance that has high deductibles or co-pays that make it difficult for women
to access services. The third eligibility criterion is income. It is based on household income. For example, a woman living by herself would be a household size
of one and she can earn up to $26,000 and still be eligible for the program. And household size of two is $35,000 and it goes up from there.”
The Well Woman Program does not provide services directly. The services are provided through many private and public clinics that participate in the
program. The Well Woman Program reimburses the clinics for the eligible services that they perform. Among those clinics working with the program are UW
Hospital and Clinics, UW Health, UW Family Practice, Dean Clinics and some of the smaller, more community-based clinics like Wildwood Family Practice and
Access Community Health Center.
“We do all of our enrollments on the phone and by mail,” Cardozo said. “We spend about 10-15 minutes on the phone with a woman. We determine if she is
eligible. We complete the enrollment paperwork. We talk to her about which clinic she would like to go to for services and then we mail an enrollment packet to
her that is specific to the clinic of her choice. Then that packet gives her information about what services are covered. It gives her a letter with instructions about
how to schedule her appointment directly with the clinic of her choice. And it also gives her some paperwork to take with her when she goes in for those
appointments. And all of our enrollment and materials are obviously available in Spanish. We have two Spanish speakers here that work with the Spanish
speaking women in the program. And they can help them make appointments or help facilitate in any way that the Spanish speaking women might need.”
Cardozo is eager to let other Spanish speaking women know about the service. “It is important that people know the phone numbers,” Cardozo said. “Dr.
Tellez-Guiron had a little conference at one of the churches and I went there. And just talking to other women, I realized that they didn’t know about the
program. And I am just amazed that women don’t know. It is so important for them to know it.”
For more information about the Wisconsin Well Woman Program or to enroll, call Kari at 242-6392 for an English speaker or Jeannette at 242-6235 for a Spanish
speaker. All services of the Wisconsin Well Woman Program are confidential.
Top: Stella Cardozo (l) and
interpretor Brenda Gonzalez
Above: Dane County Well
Woman head Kari Sievert
interpretor Brenda Gonzalez
Above: Dane County Well
Woman head Kari Sievert
By Jonathan Gramling
When Stella Cardozo, a home-based day care provider, first moved to the United States
from Argentina in 2001, she had to make some adjustments to the difference in health care
systems. “In our countries, you go to the ER, they don’t charge you,” Cardozo said through
interpreter Brenda Gonzalez. “So of course I was ignorant coming here. So then you say ‘Okay,
let’s go to the ER’ and all of a sudden, you have a big bill because of course they give you all of
the different services. They really treat you well. But they charge you for everything including the
actual space and the doctor.”
As a newly-arrived immigrant, Cardozo didn’t have any health insurance. But a Latina friend
told her about the Wisconsin Well Woman Program. “I researched the information,” Cardozo said.
“I called on the phone. Jeannette Coates sent me the paperwork through the mail. She was a
very, very nice woman. At that time, they also provided me with transportation, a taxi, to take me
to the program and back. And so they did a pap smear to see if I had cervical cancer and also
checked to see if I had breast cancer. They gave me a complete medical check-up. And they
also did some tests at that time. In 2003, they noticed in my breast a little lump of water. After
When Stella Cardozo, a home-based day care provider, first moved to the United States
from Argentina in 2001, she had to make some adjustments to the difference in health care
systems. “In our countries, you go to the ER, they don’t charge you,” Cardozo said through
interpreter Brenda Gonzalez. “So of course I was ignorant coming here. So then you say ‘Okay,
let’s go to the ER’ and all of a sudden, you have a big bill because of course they give you all of
the different services. They really treat you well. But they charge you for everything including the
actual space and the doctor.”
As a newly-arrived immigrant, Cardozo didn’t have any health insurance. But a Latina friend
told her about the Wisconsin Well Woman Program. “I researched the information,” Cardozo said.
“I called on the phone. Jeannette Coates sent me the paperwork through the mail. She was a
very, very nice woman. At that time, they also provided me with transportation, a taxi, to take me
to the program and back. And so they did a pap smear to see if I had cervical cancer and also
checked to see if I had breast cancer. They gave me a complete medical check-up. And they
also did some tests at that time. In 2003, they noticed in my breast a little lump of water. After
that, they noticed something, so they did a mammography again. Then in six months, they made me come back instead of
once per year like it usually is. Locally, everything was okay. After that, all of those years were the same.”
And although the Wisconsin Well Woman Program was limited to testing for breast and cervical cancer, it also
introduced Cardozo to the American health care system. “I don’t know what would have happened to me if the program did
not exist,” Cardozo emphasized. “It is very difficult because, for example, my brother died of colon cancer. So when the
doctor took my health history, of course it was recorded that my father had that. I am 57 years old. So after 50 years old, you
have to get tested. And of course, the Well Woman Program doesn’t cover that part, but still I had to do the test. But the cost
for colon cancer is $6,000. So for brother or mother, if you have that in your health history, it is recommended that you do it.
I had to pay it out of my own pocket. They gave me another set of documents, surveys and questionnaires, that I answered
and I showed them my taxes and they gave me the opportunity to pay in installments every month. It is very necessary to
have the tests for colon cancer even if you have to pay for it.”
Since then, Cardozo has been seeing Dr. Patricia Tellez-Giron at the Wingra Clinic. And while Wisconsin Well Woman
continues to cover the health exam for breast and cervical cancer, Cardozo uses the occasion to perhaps have other tests
done — at her expense — to ensure that she stays healthy. “People think that if you go to the UW Hospital emergency room,
they think it is going to be less expensive and it isn’t like that,” Cardozo emphasized. “For example, instead of that, you should
once per year like it usually is. Locally, everything was okay. After that, all of those years were the same.”
And although the Wisconsin Well Woman Program was limited to testing for breast and cervical cancer, it also
introduced Cardozo to the American health care system. “I don’t know what would have happened to me if the program did
not exist,” Cardozo emphasized. “It is very difficult because, for example, my brother died of colon cancer. So when the
doctor took my health history, of course it was recorded that my father had that. I am 57 years old. So after 50 years old, you
have to get tested. And of course, the Well Woman Program doesn’t cover that part, but still I had to do the test. But the cost
for colon cancer is $6,000. So for brother or mother, if you have that in your health history, it is recommended that you do it.
I had to pay it out of my own pocket. They gave me another set of documents, surveys and questionnaires, that I answered
and I showed them my taxes and they gave me the opportunity to pay in installments every month. It is very necessary to
have the tests for colon cancer even if you have to pay for it.”
Since then, Cardozo has been seeing Dr. Patricia Tellez-Giron at the Wingra Clinic. And while Wisconsin Well Woman
continues to cover the health exam for breast and cervical cancer, Cardozo uses the occasion to perhaps have other tests
done — at her expense — to ensure that she stays healthy. “People think that if you go to the UW Hospital emergency room,
they think it is going to be less expensive and it isn’t like that,” Cardozo emphasized. “For example, instead of that, you should