BreastScreen SA will introduce a pop-up clinic at the Port Lincoln Hospital to ensure women in the area continue to have timely access to the potentially life-saving health check.
BreastScreen SA Program Director, Niamh Wade, said it is important for women to have regular breast screens to check for subtle changes.
“BreastScreen SA provides free screening mammograms for South Australian women aged 50-74, with the aim of diagnosing breast cancer at an early stage, before it can be felt,” Ms Wade said.
“Women should be screened every two years, so we’ve partnered with the Eyre and Far North Local Health Network to create a dedicated pop-up clinic for the women of Port Lincoln and surrounds.
“This will ensure women living in the area are able to access screening when they need it.”
At the end of March, BreastScreen SA made the difficult decision to temporarily suspend its breast screening program due to COVID-19, which meant all three of its mobile screening units were taken off the road.
The program resumed a month later, however strict physical distancing measures have meant appointment times are longer and as a result, the mobile screening units have to spend more time at each location.
“These changes have meant our visits to Victor Harbor and Port Lincoln have been delayed so we have introduced pop-up clinics in both locations as a proactive measure to ensure women in these areas, who require a mammogram, do not need to wait for an appointment,” Ms Wade said.
“The mobile screening units will continue to attend their other scheduled locations and will return to Port Lincoln and Victor Harbor in 2022.”
Eyre and Far North Local Health Network CEO, Verity Paterson, said the installation of the temporary mammography unit at the Port Lincoln Hospital is an exciting time for the region.
“We are extremely grateful to have a dedicated BreastScreen SA pop-up clinic arrive in Port Lincoln which will give the local community continued access to the vital service,” Ms Paterson said.
“We know that regular breast screening can have a significant impact on positive patient outcomes and we look forward to working with BreastScreen SA to ensure women can attend appointments locally.”
The pop-up clinic will be available in Port Lincoln from August to November 2020.
