WellSpan Health today announces an effort to increase access to important breast cancer screenings in rural and underserved communities all across South Central Pennsylvania with state-of-the-art services in its new mobile mammography motor coach. Mammograms provide a low-dose x-ray of the breast and can help find breast cancer at an early stage when treatment is most effective.
“WellSpan Health is committed to making access to important health screenings easier. In this case, we bring the mammogram service right to the communities we serve,” said Roxanna Gapstur Ph.D., R.N., president and chief executive officer, WellSpan Health. “We know there is a need for these types of services to be extended to all corners of our region, and we’re proud to provide a potentially life-saving mammogram screening to women across South Central Pennsylvania.”
On Friday Oct. 1, WellSpan Health took the mobile mammography motor coach to Delta, in York County and provided 15 mammograms to community members that may otherwise not have local options for such preventative care.
WellSpan’s dedicated team on the motor coach can complete each private screening in less than 15 minutes. Team members have undergone extensive training to utilize the advanced 3-dimensional mammography technology that allows for a clearer images of breast masses, making it easier to detect breast cancer.
“Preventative care can help early diagnosis of breast cancer and often leads to better outcomes with more treatment options,” said Dr. Carlos Roberts, vice president, chief medical officer, Women & Children Service Line, WellSpan Health.
According to the CDC, in the U.S. 255,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women each year and about 42,000 die annually from the disease. The biggest risk factors include age and family history. The American Cancer Society recommends women start getting mammograms at the age of 40. However, depending on family history and genetic risk, physicians may recommend mammograms at an earlier age for some women. No referral is required for a screening mammogram and every woman over age 40 is eligible for one.
“Affordability should never be a barrier to the care someone needs and WellSpan has programs and resources to help women who are uninsured with this service,” said Dianne Moore, vice president of operations, Women & Children Service Line, WellSpan Health. “It’s part of our promise to improve the health of our communities, one person at a time.”
The mobile mammography motor coach will visit rural and underserved communities all across WellSpan’s service region, including Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties.
Additional locations are actively being planned as well as visits to health fairs and community events to increase awareness of the importance of preventative care. For more information and to schedule an appointment, visit www.WellSpan.org/GoMammo.
