January 2026 – Cervical Cancer Prevention

From the National Cervical Cancer Coalition www.nccc-online.org

Each year in the U.S. more than 13,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and over 4,300 die as a result. The disease takes an even greater toll globally as most cervical cancers occur in low-income countries. In both the U.S. and abroad, cervical cancer is most often found in women living in poverty and who lack access to health care.

ASHA Senior Advisor Fred Wyand says providing access to medical care is only part of the job, though. “It’s important that patients and providers both feel comfortable talking about sexual health, including cervical cancer prevention. These conversations are often rushed through or avoided altogether.” Wyand says at its extreme, our lack of comfort with these topics even results in women avoiding gynecologic care due to a sense of shame. “There’s no single, simple solution to ending cervical cancer but it’s clear it involves more than just quality health care. When it comes to sexual and reproductive health, we should be comfortable in our own skin, and have the confidence to seek the care and support we need. I urge every woman to talk with her health care provider about all of the prevention tools we have at our disposal: Pap and HPV tests and cervical cancer vaccines.”

 Uintah Basin Healthcare has many providers that offer solutions for cervical cancer prevention and screening. To see our full list, please click here.