Governor Christie was on the road today in Hunterdon County, touting state budget increases for cancer screening programs that help low-income residents. But despite the boost in funding, some say the program falls short.

The NJCEED program – which stands for New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection – helps residents with little or no insurance get cancer screenings.

Maggie Theys is a clinical counselor at Anderson House in Hunterdon County, a halfway house for women recovering from drug and alcohol abuse. She says for most of the women she works with, it's been a while since they've gotten health screenings, "any mammograms, any physicals for years because they’ve been out there using.”

With the help of NJCEED, they can get the tests they need. But Theys says it’s hard to find doctors who’ll do follow-up treatment if the results are abnormal.  

“Part of early screening is, ‘Okay, so now you’ve found a problem, now what do you do with it?"

She says NJCEED has referred them to free clinics like UMDNJ in Newark, but the program could do more to make sure patients get the treatment they need.