News release

New Digital Mobile Mammography Route

Health and Wellness

NOTE: A complete list of stops for the mobile unit and location of the 11 fixed sites follows the release.

Women from Cheticamp to Clare will have better access to the latest technology to enable earlier detection of breast cancer.

"Regular breast screening is the most effective way to detect breast cancer," said Health and Wellness Minister David Wilson, today, Nov. 5. "A mobile digital service, supported by 11 fixed sites, will give women across the province access to better care sooner.

"Nova Scotia was the first province to offer mobile digital mammography. Now, three other provinces have followed our lead."

The new, comprehensive, provincewide digital mobile route will offer enhanced breast screening service for women who are hard to reach, and is supported by the 11 fixed full field digital mammography sites.

The new route comes into effect in January.

The province's robust and effective breast screening service is led by the Nova Scotia Breast Screening Program.

"We know for some women geographic location is a barrier and for some demographics, historically, there have been lower rates of participation in breast screening," said Dr. Judy Caines, medical director of the Nova Scotia Breast Screening Program.

"This route targets these hard-to-reach women ensuring that they, along with all women in the province, have access to an effective service for the early detection of breast cancer."

Since the program started in 1991, more than 185,000 women have been screened. The program has performed more than 793,000 mammograms and detected more than 3,500 breast cancers.

Rose Marie de Villers discovered she had breast cancer in 2011, after being screened at a digital site.

"Before I had the mammogram I didn't feel sick, didn't feel a lump, had energy, felt great, and had no idea there was something wrong," said Ms. De Villers. "I truly believe that the mammogram was the first step in saving my life and will save the lives of many other women."

Women older than 40 can call 1-800-565-0548 and have a screening mammogram booked at a site of their choosing. A map of the mobile route can be found at www.breastscreening.nshealth.ca .

The new digital mobile route stops are:

  • Neil's Harbour, Victoria Co.

  • Industrial Cape Breton (Glace Bay, North Sydney, New Waterford)

  • Cheticamp

  • Shelburne

  • Inverness

  • Preston

  • Pictou Landing

  • Tatamagouche

  • Sheet Harbour

  • Sherbrooke

  • Parrsboro

  • Guysborough

  • Kennetcook, Hants Co.

  • Arichat

  • Indian Brook, Hants Co.

  • Evanston, Richmond Co.

  • Glooscap, Kings Co.

  • Whycocomagh

  • Middleton

  • Baddeck

  • Caledonia, Queens Co.

  • Clare

  • Eskasoni

  • Digby

  • Long Island, Digby Co.

  • Canso

  • Liverpool

The 11 digital fixed sites are located at:

  • Amherst, Cumberland Regional Health Centre
  • Antigonish, St Martha's Hospital
  • Bridgewater, South Shore Regional Hospital
  • Dartmouth, Dartmouth General Hospital
  • Halifax, Nova Scotia Breast Screening Clinic
  • Lower Sackville, Cobequid Community Health Centre
  • Kentville, Valley Regional Hospital
  • New Glasgow, Aberdeen Hospital
  • Sydney, Cape Breton Regional Hospital
  • Truro, Colchester Regional Hospital
  • Yarmouth, Yarmouth Regional Hospital

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