Upstate University Hospital’s Mobile Mammography Program will be starting the month of September helping women from all over get screened for breast cancer by offering screening mammograms at The Great New York State Fair. The Mammography Van will be set up between the NYS Fairgrounds’ gate 2 and gate 3 to do screenings on Sept. 1 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sept. 2 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Mobile Mammography Program’s Registered Nurse will also be at the New York State Fair on Wednesday, Aug. 31 as part of Women’s Day. She will be in the Art & Home Center between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. with information on breast health and will be able to help women sign up for any available screening appointments.
To schedule an appointment for a mammogram, women should call 315-464-2588. Appointments can also be requested online at upstate.edu/noxcuses.
The program will continue offering screenings throughout the region, with additional public clinics in September at the following locations:
Sept. 7North Area Family YMCA, Liverpool
Sept. 9 Rosamond Gifford Zoo, Syracuse
Sept. 13 The Medicine Place, Phoenix
Sept. 16 Syracuse Community Connections, Syracuse
Sept. 29 Sullivan Free Library, Chittenango
Sept. 30 Kinney Drugs, Liverpool
To be eligible for a mammogram on the van, women should be 40 years and older; not have had a mammogram in the past 12 months; and not be experiencing breast problems.
The mobile mammography program was started through New York State’s “Get Screened, No Excuses” Breast Cancer Initiative, and continues with the support of Upstate University Hospital. More than 2,000 women have been seen in the three years the van has offered screenings. The program aim is to get rid of obstacles to breast cancer screening for women in New York. The average rate for screening mammography in New York is 81 percent.
The mammography van is equipped with a state-of-the art 3D digital mammogram system, private exam room, dressing rooms and a waiting room.
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women, effecting one in 8 women. It’s also one of the most treatable cancers when detected early. Mammograms—x-rays of the breasts—are the most effective screening procedure for the early signs of breast cancer.
For information, contact: Wendy Hunt at 315-492-3353.
