Mobile breast exam units gets ready for rural visits

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Aboriginal women in rural communities have faced many barriers in the past when dealing with the health and well-being of their own bodies. But now, with help from Screen Test, an Alberta program for early detection of breast cancer, and the Red Road Healing Society in Edmonton, Aboriginal women will have better access to breast cancer awareness in their own communities.

Screen Test and Red Road are announcing a new mobile program which will bring the services of the organizations to remote areas. Plans are expected to result in two mobile units - one for the north and one for the south - to visit rural Aboriginal communities. The plan for the mobile units is to spread the word to Aboriginal women about getting regular check ups and conducting breast self exams. The units will send Aboriginal women into rural communities,educating other Aboriginal women about breast cancer screening. Using Aboriginal women in the mobile units is hoped to make the visits more comfortable for the women in the Native communities.

Joanne PomPana, with the Red Road Healing Society, said it's important for women to begin taking steps toward detection and prevention of the disease.

PomPana said there are many barriers holding back Native women from examining themselves for breast cancer. Knowledge, availability of medical assistance and personal issues have kept many women from taking steps to help prevent or detect the most common cancer among Canadian women.

Recently, more information has been getting out to Aboriginal women, but there is still a lot that can be done, PomPana said.

'The information on breast cancer just isn't out there. There haven't been peer educators talking to the rural Aboriginal communities, and in those communities, you need to be talking directly to the people," she said. "The message will be for women to practice prevention techniques, to know what they are looking for," and if they find anything, "to go and see a doctor."

The more people get involved in taking steps to examine themselves and know more about breast cancer, the more people will follow.

In the larger centres, there are organizations offering information and testing to women, but the rural communities are isolated.

Even in the larger centres, Aboriginal women are leery about going for breast exams or getting information on how to perform self exams, said Shelley PomPana-Harvey, a breast health peer educator at Screen Test.

Transportation is made available to women, but even then, it takes some cooperation to get them into a centre.

"You are walking with them and going with them because if you just tell them to go, they won't," she said.

Taking the program to them, is a good alternative.

David Kirkham, with the Alberta Cancer Board, said the program is a good way to have Aboriginal women take an active role in their own wellness.

"The challenge is to break down the attitude barriers,to reach the women and to make sure there is more interest," he said.

The first mobile unit is expected to be rolling into northern Alberta by the end of February.