ST. LOUIS — October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and doctors are reminding patients to get a mammogram. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 41,000 women died from breast cancer last year.
At St. Luke’s Hospital, they’re making it more convenient for women to get a mammogram with their mobile mammography van.
Janice Rathgeber, a Radiologic Technologist with St. Luke’s Hospital said, “Women sometimes use the excuse, I’m too busy with children and work, we can come to your workplace and get that done. It takes 20 minutes out of your day.”
The mobile van travels all over the St. Louis area. Inside, it has everything a normal doctor’s office would have, a check-in area, waiting area, dressing rooms, and in the back is where the mammograms take place and the technicians can pull up the 3D images.
Rathgeber has been working in this business for 30 years. She said her best friend’s sister died from breast cancer.
“If we go out and do 2,700 mammograms a year, and we find two positive breast cancer, then it’s worth me going out every day to find those two ladies who wouldn’t have gotten it done,” she said.
St. Luke’s accepts walk-ins but they prefer you call to make an appointment. If you don’t have insurance, they’ll work with you to finance your mammogram.
To find out where the mobile van will be next, call (314) 205-6267.
