Van provides on-the-go cancer screenings

Meant to enhance health care by providing women with a convenient way to get screened for breast cancer, EvergreenHealth's mobile mammography coach currently offers 3-D mammography services in both Monroe and Sultan.

Fondly named Bella, the 40-foot-long, 30,000-pound mammography coach is outfitted with a petite, yet comfortable waiting area and state-of-the-art 3-D mammography equipment. The mobile coach is intended to augment the cancer screening services that currently exist at EvergreenHealth, by providing increased availability. The coach is parked outside of EvergreenHealth Monroe (14841 179th Ave. S.E.) two days each month and at Sky Valley Family Medicine (615 Stevens Ave. No. D) in Sultan one day per month.

Services on the mobile mammography coach are streamlined, enabling shorter wait times. Typically, an examination on the coach takes just 20 minutes, and most insurance plans will provide coverage.-á

"Most insurance companies will pay for a screening mammogram now,GÇ¥ said EvergreenHealth Breast Center Manager Rosemary Fisher. "Even if you have a really high-deductible insurance plan, chances are a screening mammogram is covered 100 percent.GÇ¥-á

Because breast cancer can be treatable with early detection, the American Cancer Society recommends that all women over 40 get screened with a mammogram once a year. For women who have a close relative who has experienced breast cancer, it is recommended that they begin screening mammograms 10 years prior to when their family member was initially diagnosed.-á

EvergreenHealth has worked to provide a comfortable patient experience, utilizing the most-advanced method of breast cancer detection: 3-D digital images. Using 3-D technology, it has been able to decrease the number of callbacks necessitated by unclear images, while simultaneously increasing the cancer-detection rate. -á

Sultan resident Elizabeth Emmons recently used the mobile coach while it was parked at Sky Valley Family Medicine in Sultan.

"Last time I went all the way to Evergreen in Kirkland and it was an all-day affair with traffic and time spent in the waiting room,GÇ¥ Emmons said. "This was so easy. I'm grateful to EvergreenHealth for providing this service to us out here in Sultan.GÇ¥

In addition to providing mobile services at different health centers in Snohomish and King counties, the mobile coach deploys during community health fairs and at private corporate events. -á

The coach will be parked at EvergreenHealth Monroe from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 13, and from noon to 6:30 p.m. on Monday, May 18, and June 22. It will be parked at Sky Valley Family Medicine in Sultan from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26 and June 23.-á

For more information on EvergreenHealth's mobile mammography services, visit www.evergreenhealth.com/for_patients/medical_services/breast_health_center/3_d_mammography/mammography_coach_schedule.-á