Thanks to a partnership between the provincial government and CancerCare Manitoba Foundation, two mobile breast cancer screening vans are being replaced with bigger and better models.
The new vans feature increased storage space and have heavier suspension and axle stabilizers, allowing them to make safer trips on rural and northern roads. They transport staff, X-ray equipment and supplies to more than 80 communities throughout the province.
The vans were unveiled today, on the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, in Winnipeg and Gimli by Premier Greg Selinger and Health Minister Theresa Oswald, respectively.
“Our government is committed to ensuring that all Manitobans have access to timely screening, diagnosis and treatment. This program helps us find breast cancer at an early stage, giving women more treatment choices and a better chance for a cure,” Selinger said in a recent news release, “Clinical trials show that breast cancer screening can decrease mortality by 25 per cent and our new mobile units will continue to ensure provincewide access to this vital service.”
The $140,000 initiative is being split between the province and CancerCare Manitoba Foundation.
“The Manitoba Breast Cancer Screening Program, which was recently renamed Breast Check, has played a crucial role in educating women provincewide about the benefits of regular screening and early detection,” said Dr. Dhali Dhaliwal, president and CEO of CancerCare Manitoba, “With out new, easier to remember name, we will continue to provide trustworthy service to women both in Winnipeg and across more than 80 locations throughout Manitoba.”
The Breast Check program provides 50,000 mammograms each year for women over the age of 50, and almost 14,000 of those mammograms are done with their mobile equipment. Since the program began in 1995, 2,679 cancers have been detected, with 709 women diagnosed through the mobile locations.
Over the next three months, the new vans will visit Gimli, Steinbach, St. Pierre, Niverville, Ile des Chenes, Crystal City, Swan Lake, St. Claude, Lorette, Altona, Boissenvain, Vita, Emerson, Rossburn, Minnedosa and Winnipeg’s Victoria Hospital.
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