Digital mammography vehicles heading to Peace Region in May

VANCOUVER, B.C. — The BC Cancer Agency has announced that two digital mammography vehicles will be visiting rural and remote communities to provide access to breast cancer screening.

Currently, the BC Cancer Agency’s Mobile Mammography program visits 120 remote and rural communities annually, including more than 40 Indigenous communities.

The vehicles are heading to the Peace Region in early May, according to Ben Hadaway with the BC Cancer Agency. No firm dates have been set yet, but Hadaway says they will be soon. Cities where the vehicles will appear can be searched for more information.

In the Peace Region, the vehicles will be coming to Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Tumbler Ridge, Chetwynd, and Fort Nelson.

President of the BC Cancer Agency, Dr. Malcolm Moore, says this province has always been leading the way for breast cancer screening — and first launched the screening mammography program in 1988.

“We’re the first in Canada to use wireless technology to ensure faster, more efficient results,” he said, referencing the use of wireless cellular data to send the images through a secure VPN tunnel from the mobile unit to the reading centre.

The two new vehicles join a third coach, which has been operating and serving communities on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands since February 2015.

A #mammogram can find lumps 2-3 years before you can. Learn more about #breasthealth at https://t.co/LNboDDXujG #WorldCancerDay #WeCanICan

— BC Cancer (@BCCancer) February 5, 2016

Funding contributions of $1,808,000 came from the Ministry of Health’s capital funding, and sponsorship funding support by the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, and Shoppers Drug Mart, to make the purchase of the vehicles possible.

The BC Cancer Agency mobile mammography service is the first of its kind in Canada to use wireless cellular data to send the images through a secure VPN tunnel from the mobile unit to the reading centre, ensuring greater efficiency of the service.

Screening mammograms are available for women 40 years of age and older. If they choose to have a mammogram, it will be available every two years and a doctor’s referral is not needed.

Johnna Sparrow-Crawford was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago when the mobile mammography service visited her community.

“I was already two years overdue for my routine mammogram – I kept putting it off because, like many women, I was too busy. I’m so grateful that this service came to my community and I made the time to get screened,” she said, describing the vehicles as comfortable and private, and very accessible for women living in remote communities.

“Book a mammogram – it can save your life. It saved mine.”

For remote communities that the mobile coaches are unable to access, assisted travel support is provided for eligible women in the community to attend either the nearest fixed centre or mobile stop.