Dana-Farber Community Vans Providing Cancer Screening In Greater Boston

BOSTON (CBS) – 52-year-old Maria Teixeira gets annual mammograms on the Dana-Farber Mammography van at the Dimock Center in Roxbury. “It’s in my neighborhood,” she said. “ It’s right here.  I don’t need to take buses.” The van travels to communities within the city of Boston as well as outlying areas like Waltham, Brockton, and Quincy. “We work with the health center staff and they help schedule the women and all the women have to do is come to a place that they recognize and feel comfortable in,” said Magnolia Contreras, the Director of Community Benefits at the Dana-Farber. Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan, President and CEO of the Dimock Center, said community vans are a great way to eliminate barriers. “Our patients are balancing whether or not they can afford their medications,” says Dr. Minter-Jordan. “They are balancing the bills we have in our homes with trying to make sure they’re taking care of their healthcare needs. So by reducing some of those barriers, you’re really opening up women to the possibility of great breast health right in their neighborhood,” she told WBZ-TV. The Dana-Farber also runs the Blum Family Van which goes out every summer to do skin cancer screening and education. It travels to beaches around Boston as well as the Cape. The van is staffed by dermatologists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “It’s the right time and the right moment to think about this,” says Dr. Joe Merola, a Br...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Local News Seen On WBZ-TV Syndicated Local Uncategorized Watch Listen Blum Family Van Cancer Screening CBS Boston Dana-Farber Community van Dana-Farber mammography van Dimock Center Dr. Mallika Marshall Skin Cancer WBZ Source Type: news