Novant Health seeks to address inequities in breast cancer screening

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A recent study conducted by Novant Health uncovered inequities in who is receiving an annual screening for the disease.  

The study focused mainly on the greater Charlotte and Winston-Salem areas, and also incorporated some statewide metrics. It showed that Asian and Latina women are less likely to get mammograms than other groups.

Heather Egan is with the Greater Winston-Salem Novant Health Foundation. She says there are several reasons for the disparity, including lack of insurance. Egan says transportation can be a challenge for many women. Language barriers have been a problem, and sometimes there is just simply a fear of the procedure.

"So we want to make sure that all women have access to the knowledge and information that they need in the language that they speak, so that they can understand why it's important to have an annual mammogram," says Egan.

To that end, Novant has deployed mobile mammography units in Winston-Salem, Charlotte, and Salisbury. Bilingual teams have been established, and translation services are available for multiple languages.

There are also grant programs for low-income and uninsured patients. And the hospital is promoting an initiative where women are invited to sponsor a mammogram for a resident who can’t afford one.