Community health centers in Cambridge
These 5 federally funded clinics in Cambridge offer pap smear on a sliding-scale fee schedule and see patients regardless of insurance or immigration status.
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Albany Street Shelter/Cambridge
Cambridge, MA 02139-4210
Sliding-scale fees Uninsured welcome 617-661-0660 -
On The Rise
Cambridge, MA 02139-1803
Sliding-scale fees Uninsured welcome 617-497-7968 -
Salvation Army
Cambridge, MA 02139-4132
Sliding-scale fees Uninsured welcome 617-547-3400 -
Transitional Wellness Center / Cambridge Health Alliance
Cambridge, MA 02138-4398
Sliding-scale fees Uninsured welcome 857-270-8775 -
Y2Y Harvard Square
Cambridge, MA 02138-3715
Sliding-scale fees Uninsured welcome 857-654-1600
Need a colposcopy in Cambridge? Start with the same clinics
If your pap smear or HPV test comes back abnormal, the usual next step is a colposcopy: a 10 to 15 minute exam where a clinician looks at the cervix with a magnifying scope and, if needed, takes a small biopsy. It is how abnormal cells get diagnosed before they can become cancer.
The community health centers listed above provide pap smear screening, and many perform colposcopy on-site or refer you to a partner clinic that does. Call and ask two questions: whether they do colposcopy on-site, and whether you qualify for NBCCEDP coverage, which pays for diagnostic follow-up after an abnormal result, not just the screening itself.
Massachusetts's free cervical cancer screening program
If you are uninsured or under-insured, Massachusetts runs a NBCCEDP program that covers pap smear and follow-up at no cost for residents who qualify.
Women's Health Network