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02/08: New Mobile Screening Mammography in Vancouver Improves Cancer Detection
If you have time to take a coffee break, you have time to get a mammogram. The Screening Mammography Program of British Columbia (SMPBC), part of the BC Cancer Agency, has launched a mobile screening mammography service in the lower mainland to bring services closer to where local women work and spend free time.
“Women working in downtown Vancouver may not find it convenient to get a screening mammogram at our regular Screening Mammography Clinics,” explains Pamela Hoeppner, promotions specialist for SMPBC. “This program is offering women the ability to access the program in a time and place that’s convenient for them.”
From February 20 to March 3, 2006, the SMPBC’s mobile service will be at the Bentall Centre Four, and will extend its service into other areas of the lower mainland and Fraser Valley, operating out of local health units and community centres
Women aged 40 to 79 can book free appointments by calling 1-888-GO-HAVE-1.
Currently, the SMPBC runs mobile services in the Interior/Kootenay, Coastal and Northern regions of the province. The new mobile service hopes to attract women who are not currently accessing the year-around screening mammography centers in the lower mainland.
Medical experts at the BC Cancer Agency, an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority, recommend women aged 40 to 79 have a screening mammogram at least every two years. A mammogram can often find breast cancer before it can be felt by a woman or her doctor.
Dr. Andrew Coldman, Leader of Population and Preventive Oncology at the BC Cancer Agency, says, “The most important risk factor for developing breast cancer is increasing age; the best way to detect breast cancer early is having regular screening mammograms. Finding breast cancer early means women will have more treatment options and a better chance for a cure.”
“Our goal is to reach at least 70 percent of the eligible population in BC,” says Lisa Kan, Screening Operations Leader at the BC Cancer Agency. The World Health Organization has identified a 70 percent participation rate as the rate that will effectively reduce breast cancer deaths in a population. BC's overall participation rate is 47 percent.
“Early detection is the best way to beat the odds against breast cancer, and we can be proud that our screening program is recognized as the most comprehensive in the nation,” said Minister of Health, George Abbott. “We continue to support women who can benefit from having a mammography screening and congratulate the screening mammography program on coming up with an innovative way of providing this service.”
The lower mainland mobile service began its pilot run in January 2006, offering mammograms to women in Agassiz, Mission, Maple Ridge and Port Coquitlam. In February, the service is scheduled to run in North Vancouver, North Delta, and downtown Vancouver. The mobile service will continue in the Lower Mainland through to mid-March, and move to the Northern B.C. for the spring. The service will return to the lower mainland in late May.
Eligible women do not require a referral from their doctor to make an appointment. Eligibility requirements for women are:
- B.C. resident 40 to 79 years of age
- Have no breast changes (e.g. new lumps, thickening or discharge)
- Can provide the name of a doctor to receive the results
- Have not had a mammogram within 12 months
- Have not had breast cancer
- Do not have breast implants
- Are not pregnant or breast feeding
If not eligible, please talk to your doctor to find out about other breast health options. Women outside of the age group 40 to 79 who are otherwise eligible may book an appointment with a doctor's referral.
For more information please contact:
Pamela Hoeppner
Screening Promotions Specialist
Screening Mammogrpahy Program of British Columbia
BC Cancer Agency
office 604-707-5927
cell 604-916-6922
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