Screentest, an Alberta Health Services mobile mammography service, is coming to Breton from July 15-17.
The service is for women ages 50 to 74 and will be available by appointment at 4919 49 ave.
Joan Hauber, manager for Screentest, said Screentest has been helping rural Albertans gain easier access to mammography since 1991.
“The reason it is important for women to have mammograms is because we know that breast cancer is very prevalent and there are a lot of women who could potentially get it,” Hauber said. “We know that the best way for women to survive a diagnosis of breast cancer is to have it diagnosed really early.
“We can now find breast cancer at a very early stage, where the outcomes are much better and there are more options for treatment.”
Hauber said women will typically not have issues or symptoms, but it is still important to get tested. Since the service began, mortality rates in Alberta have improved.
“The number of women who have died from breast cancer has decreased and that is partially due to screening mammograms and also due to better treatments,” Hauber said.
Additionally, Hauber and her team have heard anecdotally how much rural Albertans have appreciated the mobile service.
“We have also got a lot of comments from women in rural Alberta who are so thankful because it can be hard to set everything aside and make a trip to Edmonton, Calgary or any of the other centers,” she said. “People will often put it off, so by coming out there — we give women that is easier and allows them to have the ability to get it done.”
Due to COVID-19 protocols, Screentest is asking clients to book an appointment by calling 1-800-667-0604.
“For the ladies who don’t get the message and want to walk in, there will be a sign with the number and we do ask them to make that call,” Hauber added.
Results are available a week to two weeks following the appointment.
“We send all results to our clients via mail and we also send to their family physicians. It doesn’t matter it is normal or abnormal — they will hear from us,” she said.
She added, “It is important to continue to have mammograms done on a regular basis and early detection is the key to survival. That is what we are doing and it is working.”
You can see an entire list of Screentest locations and dates by logging on to https://screeningforlife.ca/.
todd.vaughan@lacombeexpress.com
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