FLORENCE, Ky. — October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the St. Elizabeth Healthcare staff and is making sure Northern Kentucky residents have easy access to exams with a mobile mammogram van. 

Madonna Vinicombe has over 30 years’ experience working in health care, but now her career focus is running the mammography van at St. Elizabeth Healthcare. “I do what I love, and I love what I do,” she said.

Vinicombe says that the van allows her and staff to reach communities who may not always have access to health care services.

“I think my calling for this was to really make a difference and to be out in the community,” she said. “I really like the community engagement that we are fortunate enough to have when we’re out on a mobile mammography van. So I think that part has been awesome.”

According to a National Institute of Health study, there was a decline from 2019 to 2020 in breast cancer screenings. Screening mammograms decreased by 44%. Vinicombe and staff technician Jodi Issenman say they want to educate women and decrease barriers stopping women from coming in to get exams.

“Reaching out to women, educating women on the importance of mammography and getting screened and keeping themselves healthy,” is always the goal, Issenman says.

“We’re all about eliminating barriers. So if a barrier for women is ‘I don’t have insurance!’ Well, have no fear because we have funding available that will pay for that mammogram,” Vincombe added.

They both stressed how St. Elizabeth has implemented a system to make the experience as easy as possible for patients, so they’ll return every two years for their exams.

Vinicombe said, “We eliminate the barrier of some many women saying ‘I can’t take the time…I don’t have time to do my screening mammogram.’ Well, we come all over town. It takes 10 to 15 minutes, so it’s nice and convenient.”

The program manager says they want to help as many people as they can with the van. Leanr more about St. Elizabeth Healthcare Mammography on their website.