By Angela Jones
The University of Virginia (UVA) Health System will hold a Mobile Mammography Clinic at Patrick County High School, according to Trey Cox, principal.
The mobile mammography coach provides comprehensive screening services to women at workplaces and community locations throughout Virginia, offering on-site breast cancer screenings using the latest technology, including 3D imaging.
The mobile clinic will be at the school on April 29 from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on April 30 from 7 a.m. until noon, Cox said, and explained the school decided to get involved and host the clinic because one of their own currently is undergoing treatment for the disease.
“That brought our attention to the need for women to have yearly mammograms,” Cox said. “We stress early detection and prevention, but travel time to have the exam, time for the evaluation and the return back home would take up the whole day. Many employees cannot afford the time missed from work,” he said.
Jerri Aldridge, nurse at the high school, and Angela Owens, a math teaching assistance, decided to put ‘Early Intervention’ into practice and bring ‘mammograms to the people’, Cox said. The two reached out to the UVA Breast Care Center in Charlottesville.
Approval for the UVA mobile clinic to come to PCHS was sought and received from Schools Superintendent Bill Sroufe, Cox said.
Initially, use of the mammography mobile unit was limited, and “intended for school employees,” Cox said. However, “after evaluating the benefit this could have on the community, we wanted to make this open to the public.”
The UVA Mobile Mammography Clinic will schedule appointments every 15 minutes with a maximum of 20 patients per day, which will allow for 40 slots in two days.
Be sure to bring insurance cards at the time of visit.
Programs also are available to cover the cost of the exam for those with no insurance. Ask about these programs when scheduling the appointment.
To schedule an appointment for the clinic that will be held at the school, 215 Cougar Lane, Stuart, call (434) 243-4704.
