Alberta Health Services mobile cancer screening program will be returning to Cochrane Feb. 11 – 13.
The Screen Test program provides a mobile mammography screening to women in rural and remote regions of Alberta with two mobile units. Screen Test also has two permanent clinics, one in Edmonton and one in Calgary.
“It is a full self-contained mobile mammography screening trailer with a lobby, change rooms and exam room,” said Harmony McRae, community coordinator with Screen Test screening programs.
She said ladies call to book their appointments ahead of time and once they have had their exam they will mail them the results a couple of weeks later. There are 130 spots available for the Cochrane dates in February, and they were nearly full as of Feb. 2.
The program has been operating since 1991 and they visit over 110 communities a year.
“A lot of people don’t realize that breast cancer is still really common in Alberta. One out of every eight women will be diagnosed in their lifetime,” said McRae.
She pointed out that a mammogram could find breast cancer two to three years before it is large enough to be felt by either the client or her doctor. Finding it earlier generally increases the chance of survival.
“Most women, over 80 per cent actually, are surviving their breast cancer diagnosis five years after. Progress needs to be made, but there has been a lot of progress already,” McRae said.
Women ages 50 to 74 are the most commonly diagnosed group and are recommended to be screened every two years.
For more information or to schedule an appointment women can call toll free to 1-800-667-0604.
There is also information about the location of screening clinics at screeningforlife.ca.
