Health: Fox Chase Cancer Center, Flyers Wives Unveil New Mobile Screening Unit To Help More Women Get Mammograms
By Stephanie Stahl
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and tonight the Philadelphia skyline turns pink, with Lights For The Cure to honor the fight against breast cancer.
A new effort is underway to help more women get mammograms.
Instead of making an appointment and going to a screening center, which can be time consuming, now mammograms can come to you.
Rolling out for Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a new mobile screening unit, sponsored by Fox Chase Cancer Center and the Flyers Wives.
Nicole Warnecke, Flyers Wives Co-Chair says, "part of the Flyers' Wives and Flyers Charities is to get involved with women's health issues in the community."
The mobile unit will be dispatched to under-served communities and corporate sites to make getting a mammogram quick and easy.
Dr. Kathryn Evers, director of breast imaging at Fox Chase says, "anything that will make it easier for women to get what they need is certainly our goal.. if it's convenient, I think it's a lot easier to just come and get it taken care of."
Dr. Evers says the inside of the mobile unit is a mini-version of what you'd find at regular screening centers.
"It's really important to detect any cancers early so that's what we're hoping for," says Diane Hextall, wife of Flyers General Manager Ron Hextall. It's personal for her, she had a breast lump removed when she was just 26.
"It's quite scary, that cancer word so it does rattle your cage," Diane says.
Her lump was benign, but ever since she's been vigilant, and wants to spread the word about early detection.
"Encourage those sisters and neighbors and friends and family just to go get screened and know the facts," says Diane.
The van will be rolled out as it get requests from community groups.
Like with any mammogram, women over the age of 40 will need a prescription to be screened in the mobile unit. The entire process takes less than 15 minutes.
http://www.fccc.edu/prevention/hchd/education-outreach-mammography.html