Breast cancer screening in village— Mobile mammogram coming
- Published: May 26, 2016
Yellow Springs women have the opportunity to obtain two critical health screenings locally when the OhioHealth mobile mammography and bone density unit visits Yellow Springs on Friday, May 27.
Those wishing to schedule a mammogram or bone density screening should call 614-566-1111 or 1-877-566-1112 to make an appointment. Most insurance will cover the tests, but grant funds are available; if a person doesn’t have insurance, she should inquire about grant funding to cover the cost, according to Village Manager Patti Bates. A bone density screening requires a prescription from a physician; the prescription should be faxed to 614-533-1111 prior to the screening.
According to Bates on Tuesday of this week, no one had yet signed up. Interested persons should sign up by next Monday, May 23, or the Yellow Springs visit will be canceled.
The mobile mammogram and bone density screening truck will park outside the John Bryan Center in Yellow Springs on Friday, May 27, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. And although the screenings will take place in a pink truck, the process is one familiar to women who have had it before.
“It’s just like having your mammogram at the hospital, only more convenient,” said Bates.
Bates, herself a four-time breast cancer survivor, was instrumental in bringing the mammogram unit to the village.
“Regular breast examinations, including mammograms, are essential to the health of women and men,” Bates wrote in an email. “The presence of the OhioHealth Mobile Mammography van in Yellow Springs presents another opportunity for women and men to have the annual breast exam in a convenient location.”
Mammograms are x-rays that allow trained specialists to identify suspicious areas in the breast, identifying lumps before they can be manually felt, according to the website nationalbreastcancer.org. Mammograms are recommended every one to two years for women aged 40 or over; those younger than 40 with high risk factors are advised to ask their physicians.
Early detection of breast cancer makes a significant difference. While it’s estimated that one in eight women will have breast cancer during her lifetime and more than 40,000 American women will die from the disease in 2016, women whose breast cancers are detected early have a 99 percent chance of being cancer-free in five years, according to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure website. Breast cancer in men, while rare, does occur, and some men may opt to be screened.
A bone density test is a process in which a small amount of x-ray measures the minerals in the patient’s lower back and hips. The test is recommended every two years for women aged 65 and older and men 70 and older, according to the website womenshealth.org. The bone density scan alerts people who are at risk for fractures due to osteoporosis, the most common skeletal disorder in this country. Those at risk can take precautionary measures, such as adding calcium supplements to their diet.
The OhioHealth mammogram and bone density screening truck is funded by the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Columbus and Limited Brands Foundation.
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