ESTEVAN - In its effort to expand the list of services that it offers for the people of southeast Saskatchewan, St. Joseph's Hospital is investigating the possibility for screening mammography.
In an interview with the Mercury and SaskToday, St. Joseph's Hospital executive director Candace Kopec said there have been discussions about lowering the age for breast cancer screening from 50 to 40.
"Currently the [regular] screening starts at 50 and we have adequate resources or services in the province to be able to meet the demand," said Kopec.
Cancer screening buses, one of which was in Estevan earlier this year, work very, very well, she said. The bus also had lengthy stops in Carnduff and Carlyle in the winter. If the screening age is lowered to 40 years of age, Kopec said additional services would be needed.
A program at the hospital would provide similar services to what the bus provides, but it would be available in Estevan throughout the year instead of weeks or months at a time.
"If people are away for the winter while it's here, then they would have to travel, or if there is an [urgent] need, if someone has a lump, they would have to right now travel to Regina to be able to get that service," said Kopec. "But the nice thing is if we were able to get a mammography service here, we would be able to provide that service, and have access anytime of the year and meet the needs of the community."
The idea is still in the preliminary stages, so they haven't talked about the costs of equipment or operations. Those discussions would take place further down the line.
The hospital has sent letters to Estevan city council and other municipalities in the area, asking for their support. Kopec said St. Joseph's has received letters of support to be sent to the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
The letter, written by hospital board chairman Don Kindopp, notes the hospital already has ultrasound, x-ray and CT scan services within the diagnostic imaging area of St. Joe's, and it is in the midst of a fundraising campaign to bring an MRI scanner to the hospital.
Kopec believes having all of these services in the same area is the most efficient option.
The letter goes on to say mammography screen wait times and service pressures impact access.
"Any time we can bring services closer to home here at St. Joseph's, we are willing to do that to reduce the amount of travel for anyone in Estevan or the southeast corner of the province," said Kopec.
