Dana-Farber Mammography Van

The Dana-Farber Mammography Van is a mobile mammography program serving the women of Massachusetts. The program is available to all women over age 40, with a focus on low-income, uninsured, elderly, and non-English speaking women. The van travels to different communities 3-4 days a week year-round, bringing breast cancer screening and education directly to the neighborhoods in which women live and work. Women without adequate medical coverage are connected to primary care providers, assisted with applications for state-subsidized health insurance plans, and linked to follow-up services. Exams are performed by board-certified mammography technologists from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the program is supported financially through individual, corporate, and foundation donations.

The goal of the Mammography Van is to make high quality breast cancer screening services more accessible to women who are medically underserved.

Since the program began in May 2002, the Mammography Van has provided more than 25,000 mammograms to patients speaking more than 40 different languages. In fiscal year 2008, the van provided 3,936 mammograms. During that year the program successfully reached their target population: 75% of the women were uninsured or publicly insured, 70% were ethnic minorities, and 62% spoke a first language other than English.