October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the Reclaiming Well Being Committee welcomes the Mobile Cancer Screening Coach to Six Nations for free cancer screening including mammograms.
The Mobile Cancer Screening Coach will be at Iroquois Plaza on Oct. 30 and 31 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and at Grand River Enterprises on Nov. 1 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“Mammograms can find breast cancer when it’s small, less likely to have spread and easier to treat,” says Dr. Amy Montour, Aboriginal Clinical Lead for the Regional Cancer Program. “As a member of the Reclaiming Well Being Committee, a family doctor and community member, I highly recommend cancer screening as part of people’s routine medical care.”
The 45-foot-long Coach offers tests to screen for signs of breast, cervical and colon cancer to those who qualify. Mammograms are provided through the Ontario Breast Screening Program (OBSP), Pap tests through the Ontario Cervical Screening Program (OCSP) and take-home fecal occult blood test (FOBT) kits through the ColonCancerCheck program.
The Coach is staffed by a registered nurse, medical radiation technologist and booking clerk, and features a digital mammography suite, private exam room, sitting area and wheelchair accessibility.
Mammograms are recommended every two years for women ages 50 to 74 with no signs of breast cancer and Pap tests are recommended every three years for women ages 21 to 69 to screen for signs of cervical cancer. The FOBT screens for signs of colon cancer. It’s recommended that residents ages 50 to 74 with no symptoms or family history take this easy take-home test every two years. The Coach nurse distributes FOBT kits to those who quality.
Coach services also include smoking cessation referral for screening-age clients.
Call 905-975-4467 or 1-855-338-3131 to book your appointment. Drop-ins are also welcome.
Deena Klodt is aboriginal navigator for the Regional Cancer Program, member of the Reclaiming Well Being Committee and aboriginal community
