Email
Print
Letter to Editor
ShareScreening out cancer
Published: October 01, 2008 5:00 AMThe screening mammography bus will be rolling into the Houston Health Centre from Oct. 14-16. The bus makes an appearance in 30 communities in the North every year, with 40-79 women in each community getting access to testing.
In Houston, the van will have about 48 appointments. While the equipment will arrive in the van, it will be set up in the health centre.
Women wishing to receive the tests will receive the results by mail.
“The nice thing is that women don’t have to make the appointments through a doctor,” Ann MacDonald, promotion specialist for the Screening Mammography Program of BC said.
The screening is for asymptomatic women and testing is recommended every 24 months. The communities were selected did not have easy access to screening.
“What’s great about the program is that increased screening has decreased the number of deaths caused by breast cancer by 24 per cent,” MacDonald said. “B.C. has the best outcomes for breast cancer in Canada.”
The Screening Mammography Program was started in 1990 and has an annual budget of $16.5 million from the province for the mobile screening and the six fixed centres.
The way the program is set up, is to increase efficiency by the volume of tests being done. Having the tests done this way is less expensive than ones ordered by family doctors under the Municipal Service Plan (MSP).
“It’s less expensive per test so government dollars are being better spent,” MacDonald said.
On July 18, the program celebrated it’s 20th anniversary, with the first patient attending the festivities.
“She was alive and kicking and that is the goal,” MacDonald said.
Anyone wishing to make an appointment can call: 1-800-663-9203.
FILL
