Kalina Brookfield, Contributing Photographer

From IKEA parking lots to senior centers, the mammography van makes stops all across Connecticut to increase access to breast cancer screening.

Yale New Haven Hospital’s — YNHH’s — Mobile Mammography and Breast Imaging Unit was the first mobile unit in the country to offer both 3D mammography and breast ultrasound screening services. The three-room van contains state-of-the-art machinery, delivering the same quality of care as the hospital directly to patients across Connecticut. It provides screening services five days a week, each day from a different location. 

“We knew there were disparities that continue today, which is why we offer this service to patients in the community,” Jacquelyn Crenshaw, manager of the mammography unit, said. “We are actually out in the community, and also allow patients a shorter wait to get an appointment.”

The American Cancer Society recommends women to start mammogram screening at age 40 — or younger if the patient has a strong family history of breast cancer — and get one at least every two years. However, one in four women do not receive their recommended biannual mammogram. Barriers to receiving mammograms include social isolation, job loss, food or housing insecurity, health care costs and lack of reliable transportation. 

The mammography van intends to reduce the burden of transportation by providing access to breast cancer screening from more accessible locations. The van is often stationed outside of Stop & Shop locations and community centers. It also partners with corporations, allowing employees to easily schedule appointments during breaks in the workday. It has also provided its services to the women’s prison in Danbury.

Dr. Andrea Silber, a professor at the School of Medicine and associate director for clinical research at the Center for Community Engagement and Health Equity, emphasized the importance of the mammography van providing communities with the same level of care as provided by the hospital.

“A lot of times mammography units will just have mammography without ultrasound,” Silber said. “If someone has dense breast tissue, they need an ultrasound as well. If you’re not going to do that out in the community, people aren’t getting as thorough an exam as they would if they came to the hospital.”

The hospital had had a mobile mammography program since 1987 but only provided 2D mammography until 2020 when it was outfitted with 3D mammography and breast ultrasound machinery. 

The News spoke with multiple patients after their appointments in the mobile unit, while the van was stationed in the parking lot of the IKEA on Sargent Drive. Many expressed satisfaction with the convenience in location as well as the speed of appointments carried out in the mobile unit, in comparison with typical hospital wait times.

“I’m in and out in no time. I don’t have to wait at Smilow. I don’t have to drive far. It’s nice and close and convenient,” Tara Kelly, a New Haven resident in her third year of receiving mammograms from the mobile unit said. “When I call [to schedule a mammography], I always request the van.”

Jeanne Tinari, who works at the School of Medicine, described the ease of parking outside the mobile unit compared to the hospital parking lot and the convenience of getting her mammography so close to her workplace. Linda Greene, from New Haven, remarked that she would be able to make her first meeting of the day thanks to the speed of the appointment. 

In addition to providing screening services, the mobile unit also serves as a vessel for breast cancer prevention education and outreach, advertising a monthly “Ask the Doctor” event hosted over Zoom by Silber that allows patients to freely inquire about breast cancer risks and effective prevention.

About 40 million screening mammograms are performed each year in the United States.

Correction, Nov. 16: The article has been updated with a corrected date and screening recommendations.