ELBRIDGE, N.Y.— Upstate University Hospital’s mobile mammography van in mid-June provided its 5,000th mammogram, which Upstate called an “important milestone.” Anna-Marie Peters, of Elbridge, was welcomed with balloons and a bouquet of flowers when she arrived at the van, which was parked outside the Jordan Elbridge Medical Center. “It was wonderful, and I loved it,” […]
ELBRIDGE, N.Y.— Upstate University Hospital’s mobile mammography van in mid-June provided its 5,000th mammogram, which Upstate called an “important milestone.”
Anna-Marie Peters, of Elbridge, was welcomed with balloons and a bouquet of flowers when she arrived at the van, which was parked outside the Jordan Elbridge Medical Center.
“It was wonderful, and I loved it,” Peters said. “It was close to home and so much more convenient.”
Wendy Hunt, program manager of Upstate’s mobile mammography program, said Peters’ experience “reflects that of many patients” who rely on the van for the life-saving screening, per the June 18 announcement on Upstate website.
“If we can remove obstacles to getting a mammogram, we’ve been successful,” Hunt said. “The Mammography Van extends our clinical campus boundaries to wherever we are on any given day. We bring the van to the people.”
In more than five years of service, the van has provided just over 5,000 mammograms and traveled more than 50,000 miles across 13 counties. It has also “made a real impact,” in detecting 20 cancers through its screenings, Upstate said.
The van partners with dozens of organizations and frequently appears at events hosted by businesses, libraries, community groups, American Legion posts, schools, medical offices, churches, fire departments, town halls, senior centers, grocery stores, pharmacies, fairs, YMCAs, car dealerships, farmers markets, apartment complexes, health departments, colleges, and fitness centers.
The New York State Fair is one of its “most popular” stops. This year, the van will be parked behind Chevy Court on Aug. 27 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. to offer mammograms.
Patients are encouraged to make an appointment and have a doctor’s order to receive a screening. However, walk-ins will be accepted if time allows. For those without a primary-care provider to write an order, the van can provide a one-time order, Upstate said.
Equipped with the same screening technology found in clinic settings, the van’s images are reviewed by licensed radiologists. It also includes a reception area, changing room, nursing-exam room, and an imaging room. For patients with mobility concerns or those who use wheelchairs, the van includes a wheelchair lift.
Upstate Medical University now fully supports the van after it was initially funded through a grant from Health Research Inc. and the New York State Department of Health, the medical school noted.
For more information about the mobile mammography van and a schedule of screening events through November, visit: https://www.upstate.edu/mobile-mammography/
