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QUINCY, ILL. -- Mammography can detect breast lumps an average of nearly two years before a woman can feel a lump.

Tuesday, Blessing Heath System will help combat that number by providing free mammograms to area women.

Women from a five-county area of West-Central Illinois may be eligible to receive a free mammogram. To be eligible, women must live in Adams, Brown, Hancock, Pike or Scott counties in Illinois, be between the ages 40 and 64 and be uninsured for health care.

Women who fit those requirements, regardless of their personal income level, may call the Hancock County Health Department, (217) 357-2171, and ask for the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program to make a reservation for a free mammogram appointment. Space is limited. Women who register will receive a free mammogram will also receive a goody bag.

The mammograms will be done in the Blessing Breast Center, in Suite 320 of the Blessing Health Center, 927 Broadway. Women will need to bring proof of income, either their last two paycheck stubs or last year’s tax return, and proof of age with them to their appointment.

On average, mammography will detect about 90 percent of breast cancers in women without symptoms, and mammography has been shown to reduce death from breast cancer by 20 percent to 39 percent in women age 50 and older. You can read more about early detection here.

Each woman meeting the guidelines and scheduling a free mammogram must also schedule a breast exam with a doctor, and may be eligible to receive a pap smear at a later date at no charge.