Mercy Health Springfield Mobile Mammography Program Celebrates Anniversary

January 20, 2018 marks the one-year anniversary of the first patient screenings offered by Mercy Health – Springfield’s mobile mammography to women in the region. Those screenings took place at the Upper Valley Mall and Mercy Health diagnosed the very first patient with breast cancer.

Mercy Health offers the only mobile mammography screening program in the region and in 2017, the program completed 905 screening mammograms at 106 screening events in Clark, Champaign and surrounding counties.

The screening program confirmed 12 instances of breast cancer. Eighteen percent of the screenings were baseline screenings, which means the first mammogram for these patients. Approximately 11% of the screenings were no-cost screenings provided through grants from The Mercy Health Foundation - Clark and Champaign counties, Susan G. Komen - Columbus, Breast Friends Forever of Champaign County, The Young Woman’s Mission, Della Selsor Trust, Security National Bank, Springfield Foundation and Turner Foundation and generous donors, including the Shawnee High School girls’ soccer team, which held a successful fundraiser in support of the no-cost program.

The program’s impact is not lost on the community. Brenda LaBonte, General Manager of the Upper Valley Mall, has granted Mercy Health Mobile Mammography the opportunity to offer screenings at the mall several times. Mercy Health mobile mammography has detected at least three breast cancers at the mall screenings.

“Early breast cancer detection is essential and we are passionate about our support of the Mercy Health mobile unit in offering women the opportunity to have a mammogram. While many women register in advance there are a number who do not. They see the unit while they are at the mall. It's convenient, so they take the opportunity for a screening while they might not have otherwise received one,” said LaBonte. “We are happy to continue to offer a location for the mobile unit whenever it is needed.”

The screening program will visit the mall again from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Monday, January 22.

You can make your appointment by calling 937-523-9332. Walk-ins are generally available but not guaranteed. Be sure to bring a photo ID and insurance card with you.

Area employers have also welcomed the unit, which provides their employees with easy and convenient access to an important health screening.

“Our partnership with Mercy Health’s Mobile Mammography unit has been an important aspect of Speedway’s Health and Wellness program,” said Speedway President Tony Kenney. “We care deeply about our employees and want to empower them in making their health a top priority. Providing this service to our employees helps demonstrate our commitment is not just in our words, but also in our actions. The mobile mammography unit visited two of our corporate office locations in 2017. Participating employees were able to obtain a screening in just 20 minutes. We look forward to continuing this program in 2018.”

To view future dates and locations, visit www.mercy.com/Springfieldmobilemammo.

If your business or organization wants to have Mercy Health Mobile Mammography provide on-site screenings for employees and/or community, please call 937-523-9330.

The American Cancer Society recommends that women can have a mammogram every year starting at age 40. Screening mammograms are usually a covered benefit with most insurance carriers.

Certified radiologists read all mammograms and because a second look can mean a second chance, we double-check all mammograms with a computer-aided detection system that detects more breast cancer than mammography alone. You and your physician receive a copy of the results.