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NBCCEDP Ponce, PR

Where to get a free or low-cost pap smear or colposcopy in Ponce, Puerto Rico

Black women die from cervical cancer at roughly twice the rate of white women (CDC WONDER, 2020-2022 three-year average), a disease that is nearly fully preventable with screening and HPV vaccination.

See 4 local clinics

Community health centers in Ponce

These 4 federally funded clinics in Ponce offer pap smear on a sliding-scale fee schedule and see patients regardless of insurance or immigration status.

See every community clinic in Ponce

Need a colposcopy in Ponce? 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.

Puerto Rico's free cervical cancer screening program

If you are uninsured or under-insured, Puerto Rico runs a NBCCEDP program that covers pap smear and follow-up at no cost for residents who qualify.

National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (cervical)

Other free screening in Ponce

Breast cancer Colorectal cancer Cardiovascular Diabetes prevention STD