Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

Project Name:  "Digital Mobile Mammography"

Type of Grant:  Screening

Grant Amount:  $84,520

 Project Director:Dr. Robert Fincher

Address:
4301 W. Markham
Little Rock, AR 72205

Phone: (501) 526-7300

Email: fincherrobert@uams.edu

Target Population:  Uninsured women living in counties without fixed mammography services

Counties Served:Marion, Fulton, Poinsett, Woodruff, Lee, Searcy, Logan, Franklin, Scott, Yell, Perry, Prairie, Monroe, Montgomery, Howard, Dallas, Cleveland, Nevada, Calhoun, Lincoln, Pike

Accessibility barriers continue to exist throughout Arkansas. The number of mammography facilities nationwide has declined and many facilities have closed. (GAO, 2006). In our most underserved counties in Arkansas, women do not have access to breast cancer education or screening. In fact, 24 of Arkansas’ 75 counties lack permanent certified (FDA-approved) mammography facilities. The goals of the Digital Mammography Program (DMP)are: 1) To provide breast cancer education and screening to underserved Arkansans. 2) To implement a coordinated patient navigation program to assist women who need screening follow-up and/or biopsy. 3) To partner with local organizations and donors to sustain this program. This newly-developed team is ready to really make a difference in Arkansas. Led by Robert Fincher, M.D., Director of the Breast Imaging center at the UAMS/Rockefeller Cancer Institute and longtime leader in breast imaging, the program will have a mobile unit team that includes a radiology technician, an administrative manager and a driver. The DMP will coordinate with the Arkansas Cancer Control Program as well the Arkansas Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation to proactively reach out to women in the state who might not otherwise have the knowledge, access or ability to get an annual mammogram.