To support women’s health in southwest Ohio, Mercy Health celebrated the grand opening of two new mobile mammography coaches, which carry state-of-the-art technology, making the most advanced and accurate screening tools available to patients.

For more than 30 years, Mercy Health’s mobile mammography coaches have brought peace of mind to scores of women in Greater Cincinnati, extending the reach of Mercy Health’s women’s centers to locations convenient to home and work.

“These coaches will help us expand our reach and bring this valuable access to communities throughout southwest Ohio,” said Brian Gwyn, Mercy Health – Cincinnati market president. “They provide direct services to more people, more reliably and frequently, throughout our entire region, including those facing barriers to healthcare. This means more women will have a fighting chance for a longer, healthier life.”

Each coach has the very latest 3D technology—called tomosynthesis—which improves the accuracy of the scans and reduces false positive results. Patients who visit Mercy Health’s mobile mammography coaches get results and details about any follow up testing they might need right away. This helps bring peace of mind and shorten the anxious time between getting a worrisome result and any further testing and treatment the patient may need.

Mercy Health’s mobile mammography team has driven the coach thousands of miles across our region to meet the demand for screenings that have the potential to save a life in just 15 minutes. But like all vehicles, mammography coaches are susceptible to break down as they age, and the fleet needed refreshing to continue to serve our community and expand its capacity.

The Mercy Health Foundation and The Jewish Hospital – Mercy Health secured a commitment of $450,000 from Mercy Health to support the purchase of a new coach. However, the cost of the new mobile mammography coach was $950,000. The Wyler Family Foundation, Kroger Health, and Ameritas have stepped up to provide the additional funding to complete the project. Their contributions, among many other donors, have allowed Mercy Health to purchase two new state of the art coaches which will support expanded screening efforts in our community.

“The support the Mercy Health Foundation received from so many individuals and partner organizations, to not only continue but expand the impact of the mobile mammography program, demonstrates our community’s commitment to making it easier to ensure all women are regularly screened for breast cancer,” said Erin Hurlburt, MD, chief medical officer, population and community health at Mercy Health – Cincinnati.

To learn more and to schedule an appointment, call 513-686-3300