Community Outreach
Mammography Van
"On the road to good health"
Owned by the City of Boston and operated by Dana-Farber since May 2002, Boston's Mammography Van is the only mobile mammography program in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It provides screening mammograms and breast health education to women 40 years of age and older, regardless of ability to pay. In partnership with community-based organizations and neighborhood health centers, the Van is on the road 3-4 days per week year-round, serving all Boston neighborhoods and the town of Lawrence, Mass. Skilled, board-certified mammography technologists from Dana-Farber perform the exams and films are interpreted by board-certified radiologists with extensive experience dedicated to mammography.
As word has spread about the Van's success and accessibility, screening has steadily increased by 10-20 percent each year to reach its current annual volume of 4,000 mammograms. In its first six years, the Van provided 19,000 mammograms to more than 10,000 individual women. Approximately 60 percent of the Van's patients are returnees from prior years.
Although any woman who is medically eligible is welcome on the Van, priority populations include women who are uninsured, low-income, elderly, immigrant, and non-English speaking. In the past year, 75 percent of the women screened on the Van were uninsured or publicly insured; 80 percent were of ethnic minority backgrounds, including African-American, Caribbean, Latina, Eastern European and Asian; and 60 percent spoke a first language other than English. The Van sees patients speaking 25 different languages.
By bringing Dana-Farber's high quality services directly to the neighborhoods in which women live and work, the Van breaks down the numerous cultural, linguistic, financial and logistical barriers to care and makes mammograms more accessible to those least likely to obtain one. In addition to its central purpose of providing breast cancer screening and education, Boston's Mammography Van serves as a point of entry into the health care system at large, and provides an opportunity to connect women to both primary care and health insurance coverage. Women who lack a primary care provider (PCP) are connected to one prior to their mammogram, and women who lack health insurance have the opportunity to apply for state subsidized plans at the time of their exam. Ultimately, the program seeks to decrease breast cancer morbidity and mortality among medically underserved women and increase survival rates for those diagnosed with breast cancer.
Boston's Mammography Van provides a convenient and effective way for women to continually monitor their breast health. By referring patients to primary care physicians and health insurance coverage, and by ensuring patients receive timely and quality follow-up services, Boston's Mammography Van is helping women and their families achieve a higher level of overall health care.
Boston's Mammography Van
(617) 632-1974
Se habla Español.
Nou palé Kreyòl.
Frequently Asked Questions (Español)
Frequently Asked Questions (Kreyòl)
