Mobile Digital Mammography Comes to Alaska
April 25, 2006

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA - The latest medical advancement in the fight against breast cancer in Alaska will be unveiled at a ceremony at the Abbott Loop Carrs/Safeway Store at 1:00 pm on Thursday, May 4, 2006. Thanks to generous gifts from the customers and employees at Carrs/Safeway stores throughout the state, Providence has replaced its mobile mammography van with a 33-foot mobile medical coach, equipped with the latest digital imaging technology. Musher and breast cancer survivor Dee Dee Jonrowe will be on hand with Providence Chief Executive Al Parrish and Carrs/Safeway Director of Public Affairs Cherie Myers to celebrate this milestone.

The purchase of the $250,000 vehicle was made possible through a collaboration of Carrs/Safeway, Providence Alaska Foundation (PAF), Providence Imaging Center (PIC) and The Cancer Center at Providence Alaska Medical Center. Since 2003, Carrs/Safeway has raised more than $330,000 statewide for breast cancer. Approximately half of that has paid for free mammograms for uninsured and underinsured women in Alaska and the rest for funding the purchase of the mobile medical coach. That, combined with $85,000 in other donations to PAF, covered the entire cost of the coach. “Only because of the amazing generosity of Alaskans, this remarkable piece of equipment will soon be on the road. Carrs/Safeway has made a commitment to advance breast cancer programs in our state, and their customers and employees responded with a tremendous show of support. Those efforts, combined with many other donations made to our Foundation will make all the difference for the women of Alaska,” said PAF President Susan Ruddy.

In order to upgrade to digital equipment, PIC invested an additional $326,000. The new equipment will allow women at the mobile clinics to receive the same high-quality image that women who come to their facility in Anchorage receive. “It is a great example of how, working together, we are able to provide the best care possible,” said PIC Director Laura McDonough.

Prior to the arrival of the medical coach, the imaging equipment was transported from location to location by cargo van. In the past, sites had to be equipped with a private room, a waiting area and power to run the mammography unit. Now, the coach itself will provide all the necessary space. From the waiting area in front of the vehicle to the screened changing area next to the mammography station and the built-in diesel generators, the coach is completely self contained.

Since 1996, PIC has provided mobile mammography to a service area extending from Talkeetna to the Kenai Peninsula as well as to several communities along Alaska’s Marine Highway Ferry System. “The key to saving lives is early detection, and even more than the cost of getting an annual screening, the greatest challenge in Alaska is access,” said PIC Medical Director Dr. Denise Farleigh. “Unlike any other state in the country, the number one cause of death in Alaska is cancer. There are many contributing factors, but clearly limited access to regular screenings and preventative care in our more remote communities plays a significant role,” she said.

#     #      #