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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 Institute’s (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 Institute’s 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 women’s 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 van’s 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 patient’s 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 it’s 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.




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The December, 2006 Edition of the Valley Patriot
The Valley Patriot is a Monthly Publication.
All Contents (C) 2006
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