Jamestown (JRMC) \u2013 No Excuses is for women like 46 year old Nicki Wiederrich a single mom living in Edgele.y In 2019, she worked three jobs to provide for her son, Brennan, then 16. At the time, her jobs \u2013 working at the bar, school and grocery store \u2013 were part-time and didn\u2019t offer benefits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBack then, I couldn\u2019t have financially afforded this on my own. Especially without health insurance,\u201d Wiederrich said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She heard about No Excuses<\/a> through Women\u2019s Way<\/a>. Women\u2019s Way is a federally funded program created to increase access to breast and cervical cancer screenings for women in North Dakota. One in 17 North Dakota women is eligible for this program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n No Excuses supports women who don\u2019t qualify for Women\u2019s Way or need additional support outside of Women\u2019s Way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n No Excuses reduces barriers to care. Established in 2015, the program supports uninsured or underinsured women. It also provides accommodations like transportation or appointments outside of regular business hours. More than 160 women have used the program who\u2019ve needed preventative screenings like cervical tests and 3D mammograms in eight years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Wiederrich knew the importance of these screenings. She chaired or co-chaired LaMoure County\u2019s Relay for Life event for five years and listened to cancer survivors\u2019 stories and their barriers to care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere should be no barriers to receiving this care. So many programs exist above and beyond insurance,\u201d she said. \u201cI hope women don\u2019t delay care. Because of Women\u2019s Way and No Excuses, these women certainly don\u2019t have to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She scheduled her 3D mammogram for October 2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe tech made me feel comfortable. She explained everything she did and walked me through the process,\u201d Wiederrich said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The results returned \u2013 nothing abnormal. The results also established a baseline for future images. Most importantly, Wiederrich\u2019s results gave her a sigh of relief and peace of mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In partnership with Central Valley Health District, Jamestown Regional Medical Center offers this all year round. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe host special events in October, as we know people think pink this time of year,\u201d said Radiology Manager Jason Schaffer. \u201cHowever, women can access the No Excuses funding or accommodations anytime.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n