IT is hard to miss the big pink van that has been parked near the Swan Hill train station in the past couple of weeks.
Made to stand out, the BreastScreen Victoria van is saving locals not only time but possibly their lives by providing free breast screenings to people between 50 and 74 years old.
Radiographers Sabrina Salins and Gina McCauley have been astounded by the response from the community so far, essentially being fully booked out with about 30 patients a day.
“One in seven women are going to get breast cancer, and we are doing 30 a day, so that’s four a day overall that will get breast cancer at some point in their life,” Ms McCauley said.
“When we have ladies that come in and actually say that they detected cancer, it’s really amazing to get that feedback because at the end of the day that is what we are here for,” Ms Salins said.
Both Ms McCauley and Ms Salins encourage anyone wanting a screening to book with them while they are in town, despite any reservations one might have.
“Don’t feel self-conscious about size, you’re not too small or too big,” Ms Salins said.
“Any disabilities, we can cater for anyone and everyone, so if you need wheelchair access we can do that, we can drop the van down if they use as walker as well.”
To book in for a breast screen, call 13 20 50. The van will be in Swan Hill until the end of June.
Trans and gender diverse (TGD) people are welcome to screen with BreastScreen Victoria. Please visit the following website for the unique eligibility criteria bit.ly/3Mopwuv.
