BILLINGS, Mt—A recent data from the American Cancer Society shows that one thousand new cases of breast cancer have been detected in Montanans since the beginning of this year.
Considering the prevalence of breast cancer cases across the state, St. Vincent Healthcare introduced a Mobile Mammography Coach in the year 2010 to make it convenient for women to get their annual screenings.
The idea behind this program is to provide a safe, private, and convenient screening within minutes for people who are constantly on the go.
“We are scheduled every 15 minutes and the actual process probably takes 10 minutes with patient. We go through family history, personal history and make sure we have all the adequate information for the radiologist. Once you are checked in, we will have you change and then you will go back to the exam room where we will do the mammogram,” says Kelly Hanson, St. Vincent’s Mammography Technologist.
Additionally, the Mobile Mammogram proves to be beneficial, especially for those women who reside in reservations and might not have access to a nearby hospital.
“We set up a push to get a mobile coach so we could take the services to Crow agency and the Northern Cheyenne reservation and that’s how this idea originally started. A lot of them can’t drive 200 miles to Billings to get their screening mammogram done and it’s very important for them to keep their health,” emphasized Pam Kaufmen, St. Vincent Breast Center Manager.
So far, 3,200 women all across Montana have been able to take advantage of this service.
To schedule a breast cancer screening appointment and learn more about the Mobile Mammography Coach, visit the link attached with this article.
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