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New RMH Mobile Imaging Services Van is First in the Nation to Offer Latest Digital Mammography Technology
By rhildebrand @ 8:02 AM :: 967 Views :: Syndicated Articles
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Contact: Debra Thompson
Director, RMH Corporate Communications
540-564-5886
The new RMH Mobile Imaging Services van hit the road in January, delivering the latest state-of-the-art digital mammography directly to women in our community—with the same personal touch they’ve come to love.
“This is the first mobile imaging van in the country equipped with the FDA-approved, full-field GE digital mammography unit,” says Jon Lough, director of Imaging Services at RMH. “This is the same digital imaging technology we are using at RMH Women’s Health Focus. Women are getting that same high-quality imaging on the van in a location convenient to them.”
RMH went mobile with mammography in late 1997. Over the past 11 years, the mobile imaging van has provided screenings for around 2,500 women per year throughout the region. For many of these women, it was their first screening mammogram.
“Women love our mobile mammography service!” says Teresa Boshart Yoder, director of Women’s Services at RMH. “We find that many women who might not otherwise be able to find the time will get a screening on the van because it’s convenient when we bring the service to them.”
The new mobile mammography equipment will allow more women to enjoy the convenience of the mobile service, she adds. The larger imaging field of the new equipment allows women with larger breasts to be screened more easily on the mobile unit, she says. And, she adds, because digital imaging reduces the overall time it takes to perform a mammogram, the van should be able to accommodate more women at any site.
Digital imaging is not only faster, it gives the radiologist reading the images more options to evaluate them. “Film mammography provided high-quality images, but digital images can be manipulated, enlarged, or lightened or darkened,” explains radiologist Burl Norris, MD. “Digital imaging is much better for women with denser breasts. It provides better contrast and resolution, making it easier to detect cancer earlier.”
Because the van is more spacious than the previous one, and the imaging equipment is somewhat smaller, there’s also room to offer other services to the community, according to Lough.
“It has an extra exam room, so in the future we will be able to offer other special services, such as our Heart Check assessments, cholesterol, osteoporosis or vascular screening, or massage therapy,” he says.
Yoder notes that the best defense against breast cancer is regular screenings. “Catching it early makes it much easier to treat and may help women to avoid some of the more undesirable effects of treatment,” she explains. “The mobile mammography van has undoubtedly saved the lives of many women in the community. We’ve had women say, ‘If you didn’t come here I would not get my mammogram.’ Women can be assured they will continue to get the same excellent care and personal service with the new van.”
For information on the van’s schedule or to make an appointment, call RMH Women’s Health Focus at 433-4641.
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