New unit will bring 3D mammography technology to rural communities

University of Missouri Health Care unveiled its new mobile mammography unit with a ribbon cutting and tour on Monday.

The new unit replaces a van that debuted in 2016 and has traveled more than 120,000 miles to dozens of communities across Missouri, providing services to upwards of 300 patients per month.

Instead of a van, the new unit is a 34-foot heated and air-conditioned trailer with a spacious changing room and suite featuring 3D mammography equipment, which is the same technology offered at Ellis Fischel Cancer Center.

“Missouri women get breast cancer more than any other type of cancer except skin cancer,” said Dr. Gerhard Hildebrandt, director of the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center. “But women who get mammograms have a 60% lower risk of dying from breast cancer. We believe this new mobile mammography unit will help catch more breast cancers early and lead to better outcomes for patients in rural Missouri.”

MU Health Care launched mobile mammography services in 1992 to provide life-saving breast screenings to women in areas without local access to screening technology.

“This new unit is a direct reflection of MU Health Care’s mission to save and improve lives and to increase access to health care in rural communities across the state,” said MU Health Care CEO Ric Ransom. “Where you live should not determine the level of health care you receive, and this mobile unit ensures that women in rural parts of our state have access to critical screenings and care, close to home.”

For more information about MU Health Care’s mammography services, visit muhealth.org/conditions-treatments/radiology/mammography 

Contact: Eric Maze, mazee@health.missouri.edu, (573) 884-3656