As part of a trial conducted by the province's cervical screening initiative program, the kits are being sent out to a select number of women who are overdue for their Pap tests, which doctors recommend be done every three years. The province has one of the highest rates of cervical cancer in the country. For the past six years, the province has been contacting women to let them know they're overdue for screening. But Eastern Health found sending reminders by phone or via mail led to too few woman going to their provider to get tested. The province will examine the effectiveness of the at-home kits and determine if they’ll send out more. Results of the study will be available in June. The province launched a cancer care registry to improve screening programs in 2017.
NBHC Care Experience