Published on May 24, 2010

Methodist Receives New Mobile Mammography Van

The Service League of Methodist Medical Center presented the hospital with the keys to a new mobile mammography van on Monday, May 24, 2010.

Funds to purchase the van, which cost in excess of $500,000, were raised by Service League members through various activities including operation of the hospital's gift shop.

The new van replaces the previous mobile mammography unit, which was in service for ten years. Methodist has offered mobile mammography to the central Illinois area since 1987, when the Service League purchased the first van.

Engineered at Oshkosh in Harvey, Illinois, the van is thirty-seven and a half feet long and twelve and a half feet tall. It has a diesel engine and is fully self-contained for both power and water. It is equipped with state of the art GE digital imaging. Identity and enhancement of the vehicle's exterior was installed by the Peoria FastSigns shop, and the design was developed by De Ingles of Smiley Graphix.

The new van will allow Methodist Medical Center to continue to offer breast health screening services to underserved rural areas in Central Illinois, as well as taking services directly to neighborhoods and health fairs, making screening mammography accessible, available, and non-threatening.

Since first beginning mobile mammography services in 1987, Methodist mobile mammography has completed nearly 47,000 screening mammograms in Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, Knox, Fulton, Bureau, Mclean, Stark, and Putnam counties. Support for fuel costs and costs of mammography for patients who do not have insurance or the means to pay for the screening is offered by in part by the Peoria Memorial Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®

Methodist Medical Center Breast Services has been awarded an outreach grant for Breast health Recruitment and Assessment (BRA) from the Peoria Memorial Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® that will place special emphasis on identifying and providing breast health services to African American women and women who reside in rural areas without easy access to mammography services.

The new mobile mammography van will be an integral part of providing breast health screening services for the targeted populations.

Call (309) 671-8282 to set up a screening or check out the mobile mammography calendar to see when the van will be near you.