Brian S. Englander, MD, second from right, accepts a check from the Wawa Foundation for the mobile mammography unit.
To kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, the Women’s Imaging Center at PAH was presented with a $25,000 check, donated by the Wawa Foundation. The gift supports the development of a mobile mammography vehicle that will allow PAH to take its high-quality care into Philadelphia communities, meeting patients where they are, rather than having them travel to the hospital.
While Penn Medicine has participated in mobile mammography events in previous years, using technology provided by Siemens Healthineers, this will be the first time a Penn hospital will have its own mobile unit to make screening more accessible to patients.
“There are many factors that restrict access to care, and a primary one is transportation,” said Brian S. Englander, MD, chair of Radiology at PAH.
Last year, at one of the previous screening events, an older woman had shared with Englander that it took her two buses to get to a hospital for a screening. She often cancelled due to the inconvenience. “When she saw the [Siemens] mobile mammography unit at a community health fair by her house, she felt relieved that she didn’t have to spend an entire day traveling for care,” he said.
The mobile unit, which is anticipated to be up and running by October 2023, will offer breast cancer screenings through tomosynthesis – a state-of-the-art imaging system that creates a three-dimensional mammogram.
“When a person steps into the unit, it may be smaller than what’s offered on the hospital grounds, but they can expect the same level of excellence in care,” said Englander.
The new unit will travel throughout Philadelphia neighborhoods, and will also be available to join local events, like health fairs, to promote breast cancer screening. Englander also plans to have the unit return to the same locations one year after initial screenings, so patients can complete their yearly follow-up appointments.
“I’ve been involved in this type of work for 18 years, and it’s personally meaningful to me to see such excitement around it,” said Englander. “Like everything in medicine, it takes a team to bring ideas to fruition. It’s inspiring to see so many people come together, from the Wawa Foundation’s support and our incredible PAH team collaboration, to provide preventive health in the community.”