Skip to main content
Black Health logo Black Health
NBCCEDP California

Free mammograms in California: Every Woman Counts (EWC)

Every Woman Counts (EWC)

The program, the phone, the eligibility

California offers free mammograms through Every Woman Counts (EWC). Call 800-511-2300 to check eligibility.

Call 800-511-2300 Visit California program

Primary source: https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/every-woman-counts/

What the program pays for

  • Screening mammogram
  • Clinical breast exam
  • Diagnostic follow-up (ultrasound, MRI, biopsy)
  • Case management to treatment if cancer is found

How California's program works

Every Woman Counts (EWC) is California's NBCCEDP grantee, the channel through which women in California get a free mammogram plus diagnostic follow-up. Call 800-511-2300 or visit https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/every-woman-counts/ to start the eligibility check.

Who qualifies. Women, uninsured or with coverage that leaves a deductible or copay above what you can afford, per the program page. Income limits and age bands are set by each state, so confirm yours at intake. The program was designed to backstop gaps the ACA marketplace and Medicaid miss.

What's covered. If a mammogram is abnormal, the program pays for the diagnostic workup (ultrasound, diagnostic mammogram, MRI, or biopsy) at no charge. If the biopsy finds cancer, the federal Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act (BCCPTA, Public Law 106-354) triggers Medicaid treatment eligibility: no separate Medicaid application is required in any state. Transportation and interpretation are covered in most state programs where they are a barrier to completing a scheduled appointment. Ask the intake coordinator specifically.

How to start. First, call 800-511-2300. Expect a short eligibility screen covering your age, household income and insurance, then a referral to a participating clinic or provider near you; have a recent pay stub or other proof of income ready, because most programs ask for it at the first visit. If you are insured but a deductible or copay is what stands between you and the test, say so: under-insured women qualify in most states, and the intake worker will tell you if yours is one.

For Black families in California

Black women are 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women (ACS, 2024), despite similar incidence rates: the gap traces to later-stage diagnosis, higher triple-negative rates, and uneven access to timely follow-up.

For Black women and families in California, the practical route is rarely an abstract national program. It is a local clinic or community navigator who answers the phone, walks you through the intake, and follows up when the appointment letter is delayed. The state program line above is the fastest way to be matched to a navigator serving your county.

Community partners that have historically carried this work (Sisters Network chapters, the Black Mamas Matter Alliance network, the National Black Nurses Association, local churches affiliated with Faith in Public Life, and the NAACP health committees) often maintain navigator lists outside the state portal. If the state line doesn't route cleanly, call the nearest FQHC (every FQHC has certified navigators on staff under federal 330-grant rules).

Where to get help in California

  • Federally Qualified Health Centers in California: every FQHC takes Medicaid, charges a sliding scale for uninsured patients, and participates in free-screening pathways. See our FQHC directory for this state at /clinics/ca/.
  • Obstetrics and Gynecology providers in California: our provider directory filters to this state and specialty. See /providers/ca/.
  • Medicaid in California: if you qualify for Medicaid, the free-screening pathway extends to treatment if cancer is found (BCCPTA, Public Law 106-354). See our Medicaid navigator at /medicaid/california/.
  • Black Health outcomes in California: see state-level race-stratified data at /health/california/.
  • Sisters Network Inc., national survivor organization with local chapters supporting Black women diagnosed with breast cancer: sistersnetworkinc.org.

References & primary sources

Data refreshed:

Free and low-cost screening by city in California

Los Angeles San Francisco San Diego San Jose Oakland Fresno Sacramento Long Beach Bakersfield Modesto Santa Ana Oceanside San Bernardino Escondido Santa Maria Stockton Anaheim Huntington Park Chula Vista Madera Salinas El Cajon Oxnard Redding Pomona San Rafael Van Nuys El Monte Panorama City Porterville
Show all 109 cities
Riverside Santa Barbara Santa Cruz Corona National City Santa Rosa Tulare Watsonville Glendale Jurupa Valley Lancaster Visalia Delano Fremont Inglewood Monterey Park Bellflower Eureka Hanford Indio Pasadena Turlock Vista Berkeley Compton Daly City Fort Bragg Hawthorne Lynwood Merced Montebello North Hollywood San Leandro San Marcos San Mateo Tustin Vallejo Bell Gardens Concord Culver City Hayward Lindsay Marysville Mission Viejo Ontario Orange Palmdale Pico Rivera Redwood City South Gate West Covina Yuba City Adelanto Burbank Costa Mesa Dinuba East Palo Alto Fairfield Gilroy Hemet Hesperia La Mesa Lompoc Moreno Valley Northridge Pacoima Palm Springs Reedley San Fernando San Pablo San Ysidro Sebastopol Sherman Oaks Ukiah Venice Ventura Wilmington Windsor Yucca Valley

Other free screening programs in California

Cervical cancer STD

Where to go next in California

The program is the funding. These are the places in California that do the screening, and the coverage behind them.

All 2119 community health centers in California Federally qualified clinics that screen on a sliding-scale fee schedule and see patients regardless of insurance. OB-GYN in California Black clinicians in our directory, filtered to this state and specialty. Medi-Cal Who qualifies, what it covers, and how to apply in California.