There may be transportation challenges. Work schedules. Caregiving responsibilities. Insurance questions. A lack of a primary care practitioner. Or, the reality of living in a rural community where healthcare services are not always close by.

TidalHealth is working to remove those barriers with the public launch of TidalHealth Mobile Mammography, a mobile breast imaging service designed to bring lifesaving 3D mammograms directly into communities across Delmarva.

The mobile mammography team started traveling across the region this summer. The team, aboard a pink unit, will visit neighborhoods, workplaces, community events, health fairs, TidalHealth locations and partner organizations throughout the region. 

TidalHealth Mobile Mammography’s purpose is simple but powerful: to make breast cancer screening more convenient, more accessible and more connected to the full continuum of breast care.

“Timely access to high-quality preventive care is essential to improving the health of our community,” said Kathryn Fiddler, DNP, MBA, MSN, RN, FNAP, vice president of population health at TidalHealth and vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer of TidalHealth Nanticoke. “By bringing mammography services closer to where people live, work and gather, we are helping more people take an important step in detecting breast cancer early.”

Removing barriers to preventative care

Screening mammograms remains one of the most effective tools for finding breast cancer early, often before symptoms appear. Early detection can lead to more treatment options and better outcomes. Yet across the country and here on Delmarva, too many women delay or miss recommended screenings because of barriers that have little to do with whether they understand the importance of mammography.

TidalHealth Mobile Mammography was created to help close that gap.

The program is designed for women age 40 and older who are due for a routine screening mammogram. While all eligible women may schedule an appointment, outreach efforts will focus on women who are overdue for screening, those living in medically underserved or rural communities, women who may face transportation, financial, work schedule, language or other access barriers and women who do not have an established primary care practitioner.

The mobile program will serve communities in Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties in Maryland and Sussex County in Delaware.

TidalHealth leaders emphasize that the mobile unit is intended to complement, not compete with, existing breast imaging locations. Breast cancer screenings remain available Monday through Friday at convenient locations throughout the region. TidalHealth Mobile Mammography expands that network by reaching women who may otherwise go unscreened.

“Mobile mammography is about much more than bringing a mammography unit into the community,” said Kat Rodgers, EdD, MPH, director of community health initiatives at TidalHealth. “It’s about removing the barriers that keep women from getting screened in the first place. Through partnerships with employers, community organizations and our community health workers, we’re proactively connecting women with preventive care, helping them navigate challenges that may stand in the way of screening and ensuring they receive follow-up care when it’s needed. This is a community health strategy designed to improve outcomes — not just increase screenings.”

Connected to the full breast care journey