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Free Cancer Screening
Van Coming To Valley
$100K gift from Lawrence native Cynthia
Alekel Mohr means free mobile mamography screening in
Lawrence!
Paula Porten
Women in the Merrimack Valley will soon have easy access
to free mammography screening in the convenience of a
mammography van thanks to a gift from Lawrence native
Cynthia Alekel Mohr.
The Dana Farber Cancer Institutes (DFCI) Mobile
Mammography Van, which now travels throughout Boston,
will soon be on the streets of Lawrence to provide free
mammogram screening.
Thanks to a $100,000 gift from Cynthia Alekel Mohr
establishing the Cynthia Alekel Mohr and Family Mobile
Mammography Fund which will pay for the expansion of the
van services to include screening for women in the
greater Lawrence area.
Mohr was born and raised in Lawrence and said she wanted
to give back to the community by promoting health care
for women.
Lawrence is a diverse community that has greatly
enriched my life Mohr told Impact, (the Dana
Farber Cancer Institutes quarterly
newspaper.) I believe in the future of this
underprivileged community and I am proud to be able to
give back by promoting health care for women.
According to Dana-Farber, the Mammography Van began
providing mammography screening for Boston area women in
the May of 2002. Because of the mobile screening, and as
many as 3,000 additional women receive breast health
education and breast screening each year. The Boston van
provides services in neighborhood health centers,
homeless shelters, a womens prison and faith-based
organizations in the Boston area.
The DCFI staffers conduct approximately 30 screenings a
day in the mammography van and soon the Van will be
available to provide these services in Lawrence.
Karen Ruderman, MPH, MSW, the vans program director
says that she hopes the van will be available in
Lawrence soon after the New Year.
Right now we are in the planning phase, having
monthly meetings with members of the local community. We
are creating a consortium of the community and believe
that we can provide the best clinic care by connecting
with area hospitals. Ruderman said that one
of the locations they are looking at is the Lawrence YWCA
in Lawrence.
Ruderman said she hopes the van service will be able to
reach those women not connected to the health care
system.
According to Ruderman, the Mammography Van will provide
free mammogram screening to women 40 and over or
beginning at 35 years with a history of cancer, in
accordance with national recommendations.
Ruderman said no woman is turned away and uninsured woman
will be assisted in applying for MassHealth. Co-pays are
waived for those who are uninsured. Two radiology
technicians are assigned to the van which is equipped
with a mammography machine to do on site screening. The
films produced in the van will then be sent back to a
team of radiologists.
With abnormal finding after the reading, the
Dana-Farber staff will work with local area doctors and
the patients primary care physician to coordinate
treat-ment. The staff will also assist in obtaining a
physician before the mammogram screening, Ruderman
said.
The van is the only mobile mammography service in the
Commonwealth and its presence in Lawrence is being
welcomed by local officials. Lawrence Mayor Michael
Sullivan said he was very excited Dana-Farber
was able to help the women of Lawrence, I think we
are all a little sensitive around here with the death of
Veronica Casado, Sullivan said. To have a
gift like this for other women out there like Veronica is
a real blessing for the community and I know my office
will do everything we can to help with coordinating the
outreach efforts with Dana-Farber.
Veronica Casado was a city of Lawrence employee who
recently passed away from breast cancer. Casado worked in
the personnel office in city hall under the direction of
Personnel director Frank Bonet.
The mobile screening mammography van service is just one
of the many community outreach programs spearheaded or
supported by Dana-Farber. The mammography van program
director said it would not be possible if it were not for
former Lawrence native Cynthia Alekel Mohr.
We are extremely grateful to Cynthia Alekel Mohr
for her commitment, passion, and generosity,
Ruderman said. Our successful collaboration with
the Lawrence Community will help women and their families
achieve a higher level of overall
well-being.
For more information about the Mammography Van or to make
a donation to the Cynthia Alekel Mohr and Family Mobile
Mammography Fund, please contact Dana-Farber at (617)
632-1974.
Editors Note: Paula Porten is the granddaughter of a
breast cancer survivor.
*Send your questions comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com
The December, 2006
Edition of the Valley Patriot
The Valley Patriot is a Monthly
Publication.
All Contents (C) 2006, Valley Patriot, Inc.
We publish 10,000 newspapers and distribute in Andover,
North Andover,
Methuen, Haverhill, Chelmsford, Georgetown, Groveland,
Boxford,
Lawrence, Dracut, Tewksbury, Hampton & Salisbury
Beach, and Lowell.
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