MURRAY, Utah (ABC4 Utah) - Utah has some of the lowest rates of mammography screening in the country. To help reverse this trend Intermountain Health is striving to improve access to mammogram screenings with two mobile units operating in Northern and Southern Utah.
“We understand women are busy with family and work, and they often put their own health on the backburner,” said Jen Leonce, mobile mammogram coordinator for Intermountain Health. “We hope by bringing these services to the area they live we can make it convenient and easy.”
In Northern Utah, the mobile mammogram unit is utilized at clinics without mammography services or is scheduled at local businesses that want to make it available for their employees to be screened on-site.
In Sothern Utah, the mobile mammogram truck is used at hospitals and clinics without mammography and where women often have to travel long distances to get their annual screenings. The hope is women will be screened more often when they don’t have to travel far.
“It’s not an exaggeration to say there are some women alive today because they were screened using one of our mobile units and caught their cancer early,” said Leonce. “Breast screening is the best prevention because if we catch things early there are more options for the patient to fight the cancer.”
Women in in the United States have a one in eight chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast cancer is also the second leading cause of deaths for women nationwide.
Intermountain Health recommends women at an average risk for breast cancer begin their annual screening mammography at the age of 40 – and should continue screening for as long as they’re healthy. Women may need to start screening earlier than 40 if they have a family history of breast cancer and they should speak with their doctor about it.
Those in Northern Utah who want to request a mobile mammogram or to schedule the unit to come to your business can go to www.intermountainhealthcare.org/mobilemammo or call 1-833-MAMMOGO (1-833-626-6646).
To schedule an appointment for the Southern Utah mobile mammogram truck call 435-676-1547.
Sponsored by Intermountain Health.