MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A mobile breast cancer screening center is once again hitting the roads statewide.
Bonnie’s Bus is traveling throughout West Virginia to offer breast cancer screening to those who don’t have access to a medical clinic or who don’t have medical insurance.
Set in a comfortable and convenient environment, women across the Mountain State will have the opportunity to take a postive step toward a healthy life which according to Bonnie’s Bus Director of Mobile Screening Jenny Ostien may be something some women may not have had access to before.
“We have met a lot of women who are in their 70s and 80s who have never been screened because they never had access before we came to them,” Ostien said of some of her experiences.
Originally developed in 2009, Bonnie’s Bus was started by the Statler family after the loss of Jo Statler’s mother, Bonnie Wells Wilson, to breast cancer. Since its inception, over 17,900 mammograms have been performed for women across West Virginia.
Ostien says that early detection is one of the best defenses in preventing breast cancer severity.
“We’ve diagnosed over 80 cases of breast cancer since then,” she said. “And hopefully we are able to detect them in the earliest stages, when they are the most treatable.”
The mobile breast cancer screening center is very much like a professional mammogram facility at renowned hospitals. The screening will be performed by medical professionals who can be specifically requested through the Bonnie’s Bus official website.
“We do offer 3D mammography,” Ostien said. “It’s the same level of technology that’s used at the Betty Puskar Breast Care Center, so it’s the most state-of-the-art up to date screeening that a woman can get.”
Bonnie’s Bus got its wheels rolling this year during the beginning of October, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Starting October 2nd, they began their off-campus screenings in Bluefield and since then has made stops in Grafton and Princeton. The bus accepts anyone, regardless of their insurance or lack there-of, through the help of various agreements and grants.
“We use grant funding and donations, so that no woman over the age of 40 goes unscreened here in West Virginia,” Ostien said
Bonnie’s Bus will continue their free mammograms throughout the rest of the year, they will conclude their tour in March.
To learn more about Bonnie’s Bus, click here.