A new grants program is aiming to ensure women, particularly from multicultural communities, are not missing out on life-saving cervical screenings. 

Wellbeing SA Chief Executive, Lyn Dean, says grants of up to $5,500 are available to general  practices, non-government organisations, and services within multicultural communities to  encourage and further increase participation in cervical screening. 

“More than 70 per cent of cervical cancers can be prevented by cervical screening, which is why it is  so important for women to have regular tests,” Ms Dean says. 

“Many South Australian women are currently not up to date with their regular screening and making  these grants available will assist community initiatives in supporting women to access this vital  screening service. 

“The Cervical Screening Test was introduced for women at the end of 2017, replacing the previous Pap smear. It is a simple test to check the health of your cervix and test for human papillomavirus  (HPV), which can cause abnormal cell changes that may develop into cancer. 

“Early detection is essential, as the sooner an abnormality is detected, the sooner early intervention or treatment can begin.” 

While cervical screening is the priority, projects that support eligible participants to access bowel and breast screening, or target under-screened communities are also encouraged.

Applications are encouraged from groups with strong connections to multicultural communities, GPs  who can offer extended or out-of-hours cervical screening clinics and NGOs who work with vulnerable, under-screened community members. 

Available grants fall under three categories: 

• Strategic Partnership Grants of up to $5,500 available to plan, implement and evaluate a  cervical cancer prevention project 

• Small Community Grants of up to $1,100 available to run small events or activities aimed at  supporting women to access cervical screening services 

• Clinical Extension Grants of up to $5,500 to enable cervical screening providers to extend  clinic hours or support outreach clinics for overdue or never screened women 

Applications are open until Friday 29 January 2021.  

For more information please visit openyourworld.sa.gov.au/cervicalscreeninggrants.