MANSFIELD — A vital health screening service may soon be coming to a parking lot near you.
In July, OhioHealth will launch its mobile mammography service for Richland, Ashland, Crawford and other counties in north central Ohio.
The new mobile mammography unit will provide breast cancer screenings across seven counties, traveling year round from Lima to Wooster.
Mammographer Beth Fetzer said the 3D imaging machine inside the truck is the same one used in OhioHealth’s Mansfield hospital.
The unit will be staffed by three OhioHealth mammographers, all of whom earned their CDL Class B driving license in order to drive the truck.
While smaller than a traditional primary care office, the inside of the 40-foot freightliner looks surprisingly similar.
Opposite the entrance is a reception desk, complete with a computer, a printer and a Keurig coffee machine.
A padded bench makes up a small but comfortable waiting area. The back end of the truck is equipped with a private changing area and a 3D imaging machine.
Decorated skylights and inspirational plaques break up the beige walls and faux wood paneling.
Karen Morrison, senior vice present of OhioHealth, said the goal of the mobile unit is to bring lifesaving screenings to populations traditionally underserved in the healthcare system.
Common barriers to healthcare include cost, transportation, inadequate insurance or a lack of nearby healthcare facilities.
Numerous studies have shown women of lower socioeconomic status or minority backgrounds have a greater risk of being diagnosed with advanced-stage breast cancer and lower rates of survival.
But when breast cancer is caught early, survival is the most common outcome. According to the American Cancer Society, cancer that has not moved beyond the breast has a five-year survival rate of 93 to 98 percent.
“Early breast cancer is curable,” said Dr. Srividya Viswanathan, medical oncologist at OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital.
“We hope that this unit is the first step for our community members to be empowered to take charge of their health.”
The unit will visit a variety of settings, including businesses, primary care facilities, nursing homes and community events like health fairs and church gatherings. OhioHealth expects to see eight to 12 patients in a typical day.
Vinson Yates, president of OhioHealth’s Mansfield and Shelby hospitals, said the area served by the new mobile unit has a 28-percent poverty rate.
“It’ll be in under-insured areas. That’s a big deal,” he said.
“Underserved women in these counties include minorities, the Amish, the Mennonites, and the socioeconomic disadvantaged, all of whom are going to face a higher mortality rate for breast cancer because access to screening is not as available,” Yates said.
Businesses will be able to request the unit for visits, providing employees the chance to get a screening quickly without having to leave the office.
Stanley Black and Decker in Shelby has already signed up.
“Removing the barrier of having to take time off work to receive this important screening will be a game changer,” said Ashle Finney, the company’s HR director.
OhioHealth launched its first mobile mammography unit in 2017. The south east unit covers 10 counties and performed around 2,000 mammograms last year.
“We at OhioHealth deeply believe that all members of our community deserve access to equitable healthcare,” Viswanathan said.
“Life gets busy, and that’s where our new mobile mammography unit comes in. We designed this unit to address barriers while also providing the same privacy and care as coming into your doctor’s office.”
Patti Kastelic, who recently retired as OhioHealth’s director of cancer services and imaging, said efforts to get a mobile mammography unit for north central Ohio began several years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While mammograms are covered by most insurance plans, OhioHealth representatives said the non-profit hospital system will work to ensure that all eligible patients receive mammograms, regardless of ability to pay.
In the United States, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime. Breast cancer occurs more rarely in men.
The United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends women age 50 to 74 years old get a mammogram every two years; however, the USPSTF is in the process of updating that recommendation.
The American Cancer Society now recommends women who have an average risk begin screening at age 40.
Several risk factors increase a person’s risk of breast cancer, including family history, a lack of physical activity, reproductive history and certain medical treatments.
Funding for the mobile unit came from more than $1.5 million in donations according to Erin Stine, OhioHealth Foundation senior advisor for philanthropy.
Major funders for the unit included the AEP Foundation, Richland County Foundation, S.N. and Ada Ford Foundation, Mansfield Hospital Auxiliary, Marion General Hospital Foundation, the Women’s Fund of The Shelby Foundation, OhioHealth Physician Group – Mansfield General Surgery, Curtis and Deanna Gingrich, Bruce and Cindy Hagen, The Shirley Schluter Cancer Fund and Mansfield Motor Group and Vinson and Teresa Yates.
Anyone interested in having the mobile mammography unit on site should call the scheduling office at 567-309-2512 for more information.
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