For Immediate Release
Meet the SBL Mobile Mammography Team
Transportation barriers and issues with work schedules are just some of the reasons the SBL Mobile Mammogram services are so successful. Other reasons for its success include advanced technology and the staff that operate it.
Around 150 to 200 women receive screening mammograms from Sarah Bush Lincoln through its mobile mammography bus each month – an impressive feat for the two-person team that travels around the 10-county service area. Three days a week, a driver and mammography technologist travel to area clinics, businesses, and schools to conduct these screenings.
Whitney Evans, mammography clinical support specialist, holds a CDL license and drives the 60-foot bus that she has affectionately named “Gurty.” On Wednesdays, Whitney drives the mammography bus from the main campus to SBL Fayette County Hospital in Vandalia, where she leaves it until Thursday. A couple of other CDL-certified SBL employees substitute driving when Whitney is not available.
A rotating team of six mammography technologists travel with Whitney. Alexis Dean, mammography technologist, enjoys working on the bus part time because she’s able to get out of the office and help people access mammography services more easily.
“We get complimented on our mobile mammography bus all of the time. Rural residents often struggle with transportation, so we eliminate that problem by coming right to them. And we use the same, cutting-edge technology on the bus that we have at the main campus,” Alexis stated. This is the second bus on the road since early 2000.
When the mammography team arrives to a site, it checks the site to ensure it’s flat and accessible. Whitney then deploys the stairs, adds hand rails, and stabilizes the stairs to reduce the chance of falls. She welcomes and registers patients as they arrive.
Each time the bus moves, the mammography technologists conduct quality control on the equipment to ensure its calibrated and free of any artifacts. A physicist conducts a deep examination on the equipment annually.
The SBL mammography bus uses newer, 3D technology that emits lower radiation doses, which means the technologist needs only stand behind a glass window to protect her from the radiation. However, the doors entering into the screening room are made of lead.
“People complain about the heaviness of the doors, but I explain that they are made of lead and help protect them from radiation. That makes them content,” Alexis said.
Receiving a screening mammogram on the bus takes around five to 10 minutes. Diagnostics, such as an ultrasound or biopsy for people experiencing any lumps or pain, are done at the main campus. Walk-ons have been suspended due to COVID-19 protocols, but are expected to return soon. For now, all patients must register ahead of time by calling 217 258-2588.
September to December are the busiest months for the mobile mammography team with October is recognized annually as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, bringing special attention to the disease. One in eight women develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Women are 100 times more likely to develop breast cancer than men. Family history, obesity, older age, sedentary lifestyles, and high alcohol consumption can all increase chances of a person getting breast cancer. However, 60 to 70 percent of people with breast cancer have no connection to these risk factors at all, making annual screenings for all women older than 40 even more important. With a family history of breast cancer, a screening can occur as early as 30 years old, depending on their insurance.
“People tell us that they love the SBL mammography bus and won’t do their mammograms any other way. They come consistently every year, and that makes us happy,” Whitney beamed.
