FIRST blood, now boobs.
The Australian Red Cross van was in town before Christmas and next month the BreastScreen Victoria bus will head to Swan Hill to park outside the Visitor Information Centre for a three month stint.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer faced by Aboriginal women and Mallee District Aboriginal Services (MDAS) are already laying the groundwork to raise local awareness of the mobile service.
The Department of Health recommends women are screened once every two years and MDAS primary health care manager Jody Croft said take-up of the service among local Indigenous women had generally been good since the biennial bus visits began in 2012.
“We had around 10 women each time, then others who made their own appointment,” she said.
“It’s not a bad number at all. If they’re presenting with problems outside the two years arrangements are made [for alternative screening at Echuca].”
For more on this story, grab a copy of Wednesday’s Guardian (February 17).
