Community
2 March, 2021
Atherton women urged to book free breast screen now
BreastScreen Queensland (BSQ) is urging local women to take advantage of their free mobile service available at Atherton Showgrounds until mid-March.
BSQ Health Promotion Officer Sandra Peut said the Atherton Mobile Service offered the same state-of-the-art digital technology that is available at their clinic in Cairns.
“We are fortunate to offer this advanced technology across the region with our Mobile Service,” she said.
“This ensures the same quality care and access for all women, no matter where they live.”
Tablelands Regional Council Councillor Annette Haydon has had personal experience with breast cancer and can’t stress enough the importance of regular screening.
“My mother survived breast cancer — it is a tough battle that we should do everything we can to avoid,” she said.
“We owe it to ourselves to prioritise breast screening and need to stop finding excuses not to make the call, giving ourselves the best chance of a healthy and long future.
“The specialised screening service comes to our region, so it’s up to us to take the last few steps.”
Ms Peut said there were almost 80 unfilled appointments over the next couple of weeks that needed to be filled.
“We want to give local women who may not know about our free service the opportunity to take advantage of it while it’s in their community and remind those that might have forgotten to jump in and book their appointment,” she said.
She said that as the mobile breast screening service operated on a two-yearly cycle, in line with
recommendations around mammographic screening, it would return to Atherton at the end of 2022.
A breast screen takes a picture of what is happening inside the breast tissue and can pick up changes in the breast, often before they can be seen or felt by a woman or her doctor.
Women aged 50-74 are strongly recommended to screen every two years, as this is the age group that benefits most from screening.
Women in their forties and those aged over 75 are also eligible for this free service, and no doctor’s referral is required. For more information or to book your appointment call 13 20 50 or visit www.breastscreen.qld.gov.au.
