Local Mammogram Van Offers Screenings Across Central New York

SYRACUSE N.Y. — (CITRUSTV NEWS) SUNY Upstate’s Mammogram Van will be making stops across Central New York this week.

The goal of this van is to provide women across central New York their annual mammogram screenings.

Approximately 13% of women are diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, so it is very important women take the proper precautions, and get yearly mammogram screenings.

The van’s program manager, Wendy Hunt, sees this van as an opportunity for women who don’t have access to screenings near them.

“It allows people who maybe are struggling to use public transportation, don’t have transportation of their own ,or for whatever reason can’t get to a fixed site to get a mammogram at an imaging center. We can come to their neighborhood and do that there,” said Hunt.

This Mammogram Van isn’t the only one, there are several other mobile mammography vans across the state, and even across the country. In rural areas, there is a growing
demand for not just mobile mammography, but other mobile healthcare services as well.

“They’re all over the country. There’s mobile mammography, but there’s also mobile health care, and there’s primary care. They do all sorts of different things. Health care on mobile vehicles has really become, I’m not gonna say a necessity, but there are a lot of rural places who aren’t really getting health care, and they’re able to do it through mobile health,” Hunt explained.

Hunt encourages women to look for breast cancer warning signs; such as a lump on your breast, breast pain, and changes in your skin.

The van will be making stops around the Syracuse area throughout the week.

Reporter: Sophia McVige