Northern Light CA Dean Hospital launches new mobile mammography service

GREENVILLE — Northern Light CA Dean Hospital recently improved access to potentially lifesaving mammography screening closer to home by launching a  new mobile mammography service. Screening is now available in Greenville and will be offered in other communities in the region beginning this summer.

“Mobile mammography is an innovative way to make it easier for women in our rural region to receive their annual screenings. To our knowledge, this is the only service of its kind in the entire state of Maine,” says Marie Vienneau, president, Northern Light CA Dean Hospital. 

The mobile mammography unit is outfitted with the same modern, leading-edge 3D technology used in hospitals to produce high quality, accurate images. The patient experience mirrors what patients will find in a hospital-based mammography suite. Lorna Young, the first patient screened in the new unit, found her screening to be simple and personalized.  

“Mobile mammography was very easy and convenient. The staff was wonderful and caring. It was a very comfortable experience, and I highly recommend it,” she says. 

Screening mammograms are suggested for most women beginning at age 40 because finding cancer early allows care to begin sooner when the disease is easier  to treat. Vienneau believes that better access to mammograms will lead to higher screening rates in the region. 

“Only two-thirds of women in Piscataquis County over the age of 40 have had a mammogram in the past two years, and per capita breast cancer deaths in the region exceed the state and national averages. Given the rural nature of our communities, having a mobile unit is key — more women in more places will get screened,” she says. 

While the mobile mammography unit is based in Greenville at CA Dean Hospital, Mayo Hospital staff handle the screening and scheduling. 

“Mobile mammography is truly a partnership between our Piscataquis County hospitals.  Sharing staff resources and expertise across hospitals is one of the benefits of being part  of a system. This service would not be possible without this level of collaboration,” says Vienneau.

The mobile mammography unit was purchased with $1,002,014 in congressionally  directed funds secured by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. Mammography services in the region are supported by a $160,000 Maine Cancer Foundation grant that funds a women’s health patient navigator who helps women overcome barriers to screening. 

CA Dean Hospital is putting plans in place to bring the mammography unit to other  locations in the coming months. To schedule an appointment, please call 207-564-4353. Screening mammography is a covered benefit by most insurance companies for women  over 40, and assistance is available to women for whom cost is a barrier.