Lakeland HealthCare recently received a $40,000 grant for its new Compassion Card program for breast screenings from the Southwest Michigan Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

The program will provide 100 free breast cancer screenings or diagnostic services to uninsured and underinsured women in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties.

The program also provides funding towards transportation for the services.

The Compassion Card program is in addition to Komen’s Pink Saturdays program in October for which Lakeland also provides a free mammogram to uninsured or underinsured women.

“We receive daily requests from women seeking financial help for screening mammograms,” said Shelley Wilkinson, a breast health care coordinator at Lakeland Healthcare.

“Additionally, there is a high rate of late diagnosis of breast cancer in our area, which contributes to a higher mortality rate.

These factors led to our pursuit of a grant to further help meet the needs of women in our community.”

Breast cancer is the most common cancer treated at Lakeland, according to Edmund Paloyan, the medical director of onocology services at Lakeland HealthCare.