Saint Alphonsus welcomes new mobile mammography coach to fleet
By Paul Hall on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2021 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News Eastern/Southeast Oregon Top Stories
EASTERN OREGON – (Release from Saint Alphonsus) Wrapped in bright pink, “Stella” is ready to hit the road. Stella is the name given to Saint Alphonsus’s newest mobile mammography unit. The 40-foot long bus contains the latest in 3D mammography technology and will start serving patients throughout Idaho and Eastern Oregon tomorrow.
Saint Alphonsus celebrated the blessing of the new coach and officially placed it in service today.
The coach was funded by proceeds from the 2019 Saint Alphonsus Festival of Trees and replaces “Nellie Belle,” the oldest coach in the Saint Alphonsus fleet. Stella joins “Lola,” Saint Alphonsus’ other mobile mammography coach, which has also been retrofitted with 3D technology and re-wrapped with new graphics thanks to the Festival of Trees.
“Healthcare is more than what takes place within a hospital or clinic spaces. Our mission is to be a transforming healing presence in the communities we serve, and that includes taking our services out to where the people live, which include many rural cities and towns in Idaho, Oregon and Nevada. This beautiful new coach will bring life-saving breast cancer detection to thousands of women who may not have the benefit of the latest technology and care,” said Odette Bolano, President and CEO of Saint Alphonsus Health System.
Stella was manufactured by Farber Specialty Vehicles in Columbus, Ohio. She is 40 feet long, stands 13’6” and weighs 32,000 pounds. Outfitted with two generators, Stella has the most advanced 3D mammography technology, enabling clinicians to detect small cancers and masses hidden in dense breast tissue much earlier than using standard 2D technology. 3D mammography also reduces the number of diagnostic images required for a complete screen, and it greatly decreases instances of false positives.
“The mobile program’s primary mission is to provide critical breast cancer screening in remote areas without fixed mammography resources,” said Jackie Babb, Women’s and Children’s Service Line Director at Saint Alphonsus. “Women travel great distances and often hours to meet the mobile at the local coffee shop or grocery store. The mobile mammography program spans services from central Oregon to Shoshone, ID and Council to Duck Valley Reservation, NV. Nearly 4,000 women are screened by the traveling mobile mammography coach each year.”
More than 25,000 people attended the 2019 Festival of Trees at the Boise Centre in downtown Boise. The event raised a record-setting $703,000 which allowed the Saint Alphonsus Foundation to fully fund the new coach and retrofit Lola.
“It was a privilege to chair the 2019 Festival of Trees and we feel very blessed to live in a community that is so generous. The 2019 Festival exceeded our fund-raising goals resulting in the replacement and upgrading of the Saint Alphonsus mammography buses, including 3-D technology, to ensure women in underserved areas receive lifesaving care. Thank you to the volunteers, organizers, sponsors and the community for your overwhelming support,” said Cindy and Brad Williams, Co-Chairs of the 2019 Festival of Trees.
Stella’s first appointments will be at Terry Reilly Health Services in Nampa tomorrow. To schedule an appointment for a screening, call (208) 367-8787. Patients will need to show photo ID and an insurance card. For patients without insurance, Saint Alphonsus has grants available for those who qualify. Patients will be screened for COVID-19 before boarding the coach, will need to wear a mask at all times and visitors or children are not permitted on the coach.
About Saint Alphonsus Health System
As a faith-based Catholic ministry and not-for-profit health system, Saint Alphonsus Health System reinvests in the communities we serve, through charity care and other benefits. Our goal is to improve the health and well-being of people by emphasizing care that is patient-centered, physician-led, innovative and community-based. Saint Alphonsus Health System serves the people of southwestern Idaho, eastern Oregon and northern Nevada through these facilities: Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center – Boise, ID; Saint Alphonsus Regional Rehabilitation Hospital – Boise, ID, a joint venture with Encompass Health; Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Nampa, ID; Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Ontario, OR; Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Baker City, OR; and Saint Alphonsus Medical Group with primary and specialty care providers at over 70 clinic locations, all of which are members of the Saint Alphonsus Health Alliance, a network of over 2100 employed and independent providers. Saint Alphonsus is a proud member of Trinity Health, one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation. Trinity Health serves people and communities in 22 states from coast to coast with 94 hospitals and 122 continuing care facilities, home health and hospice programs, and PACE center locations. To find out more go to: www.saintalphonsus.orgSaint Alphonsus welcomes new mobile mammography coach to fleet
