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Know your risk: the free assessment catching breast cancer earlier in Island County

Published 12:00 pm Sunday, July 19, 2026

A free Providence program is helping thousands understand their breast cancer risk before symptoms ever appear

An elevated risk of breast cancer rarely announces itself. Most people who carry one feel healthy, keep their regular appointments and have no idea that family history or breast density places them in a different category.

That knowledge gap is what the Comprehensive Breast Center at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett set out to close with Prevention4ME, a free risk assessment program. 

Everett was the first Providence location in the country to offer it and the program has since expanded to California, Montana and Oregon.

“The goal is to move beyond reactive care and, in a perfect world, intervene at stage one,” says Laura Kendrick, breast cancer survivor and manager of the Providence Comprehensive Breast Center.

Lead Mammography Technologist Starla DeLap at the Comprehensive Breast Center located at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

The process begins when patients schedule a mammogram and complete a short online assessment covering personal and family health history. A comprehensive algorithm calculates each patient’s lifetime risk score, factoring in breast density. 

Those who meet national guidelines qualify for the high-risk program, which includes contrast enhanced mammography, genetic counseling and testing, and enhanced screening.

When a biopsy is needed, it happens onsite and a nurse practitioner delivers results in person with clear guidance on what comes next, so patients can focus on processing what they have learned.

Since launch, the program has identified 2,300 women at elevated risk who might otherwise never have known, allowing the team to support them earlier with screening and prevention strategies.

Kendrick is quick to note the program is not only for women. 

“Men get breast cancer too and we see them every day,” she says. “This program is for everyone and so are the screening guidelines it follows.”

Schedule a mammogram at the Comprehensive Breast Center by calling 425-258-7900, option one or visit prevention4me.providence.org.

If cancer is found, patients step directly into the care of the Providence Regional Cancer Partnership, where a multidisciplinary team of more than 90 meets weekly to review every case and lay out the best possible plan.

Yearly screening is recommended starting at age 40 and Prevention4ME is completely free for everyone who walks through the door.

Schedule a mammogram at the Comprehensive Breast Center by calling 425-258-7900, option one, and learn more about services offered at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett at providence.org/locations/wa/providence-regional-medical-center-everett.

Powered by community generosity

This  level of comprehensive care has grown alongside Island County and Kendrick credits the community for making it possible. Donors to the Providence General Foundation funded the advanced technology which further screens the patients Prevention4ME identifies as higher risk for breast cancer. 

“The generous support of our community is vital to the continued advancement and expansion of programs like this,” Kendrick says.

To support local innovation in cancer prevention, detection and treatment donate to the Providence General Foundation at foundation.providence.org/wa/everett. 

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