BY KAREN BOSSICK
A 50-foot mobile breast health clinic is rolling into Bellevue on Thursday to bring advanced 3D mammography to patients who may otherwise face long travel times for routine screening.
St. Luke’s Mobile Breast Health Clinic will be at Family Health Services, 621 N. Main St., in Bellevue from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19. Appointments can be scheduled by calling 208-814-7220 or 208-318-1036.
Walk-ins will be accommodated as availability allows. Screenings take between 20 and 30 minutes.
The mobile clinic will visit Family Health Services at 651 S. Beverly St. in Shoshone from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24.
Idaho consistently ranks among the lowest in the nation for mammography screenings. A lack of local imaging services, transportation challenges and the need to take time away from work to have a screening can create barriers that lead to delayed diagnoses.
“Many of the patients we’re seeing are receiving a mammogram for the very first time, or they are returning after many years,” said Stephanie Schroeder, St. Luke’s mobile mammography coordinator. “The mobile clinic removes some of the biggest barriers to care by meeting people where they are.”
The mobile clinic features leading edge 3D mammography, which provides clearer, more detailed images than traditional 2D technology. This helps clinicians identify abnormalities earlier and reduces the number of patients who need to return for additional imaging, which is a key benefit for those who live far from medical facilities.
Images are reviewed by a radiologist, and results are sent directly to patients.
The mobile unit is also visiting Mountain Home, Twin Falls, Castleford, Filer, Hansen, Gooding, Heyburn and Jerome.
“Through our mobile mammography program, we are bringing high-quality, life-saving screening directly into underserved communities across the Wood River Valley, Magic Valley, and surrounding counties, eliminating barriers like cost and transportation so we can detect breast cancer earlier, when it is most treatable,” said Kandis Pedersen-Romero, area imaging director for St. Luke’s Health System. “In a state with some of the lowest screening rates in the nation, this is about meeting women where they are and ensuring every patient has access to equitable, preventive care.”