Providing Women's Health Screening to Low-Income and Underinsured Women in Rural Moab, Utah

Purpose: This quality improvement project evaluated whether a free women's health screening event in rural Moab, Utah, increased access to preventive breast and cervical cancer services for low-income and underinsured women. Introduction: Rural women face higher breast and cervical cancer mortality due to financial barriers, limited local providers, long travel distances, and cultural and linguistic challenges. The Moab Free Health Clinic has long screening waitlists and minimal staffing, leaving many women unable to obtain timely preventive care. Expanding screening access is essential for early detection and reduced morbidity. Methods: Guided by the Health Belief Model, the project team partnered with the Moab Free Health Clinic and a mobile mammography service to implement a 1.5-day screening event. Fourteen nurse practitioner students were trained to perform Pap tests and clinical breast exams under faculty supervision. Bilingual outreach included posters, social media, newspaper notices, radio promotion, and direct patient calls. Data collected included demographics, screening outcomes, and post-visit satisfaction surveys. Discussion: A brief, community-centered screening event substantially expanded access to preventive care, identified significant diseases, and was highly acceptable to participants. Academic–community partnerships offer an effective, scalable model for improving rural women's health outcomes.