Dr. Angelica Robinson is a woman on a mission: She wants to take breast cancer screening services on the road to as many underserved women in the community as she can possibly reach. So far, since she began nearly two years ago, Robinson, who directs UTMB’s breast imaging outreach programs, has come up with many creative ways to take breast cancer screening on the road.

 

One of her most successful programs involves taking the UTMB mobile mammography van to churches on Sunday mornings. With support from The Ruth Kempner Endowment for Breast Cancer Screening, Robinson has once again organized a fall “Sunday Screening” program.  Since that program began last fall, 98 uninsured Galveston County women have received free mammograms.

 

In October, the mobile mammography van served 28 women who gathered after church at St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church in Texas City. They worked with a bilingual medical team from UTMB.

 

Free screening mammograms will continue to be available for uninsured Galveston County residents at two different dates and locations during November. Women who would like to participate must pre-register.

 

Greater St. Matthew’s Baptist Church, 6333 Highway 6, Hitchcock. 409-986-5453.

 

Sunday, Nov. 18, Galveston, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church, 3602 Sealy Ave., Galveston. 409-762-0088.

 

Women need not be members of these church congregations in order to apply for the free mobile screening mammogram program. However, they must pre-register in order to participate.

 

Preregistration application packets may be picked up after Sunday church services or anytime during the week when church offices are open. Packets may also be obtained from the UTMB Breast Imaging Department. Call UTMB’s Ida Hernandez at 832-505-1721 for application information.

 

Women who would like to participate in the free mammogram program must be legal residents of Galveston County; have no Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance; and must not have a lump in either breast or a history of breast cancer diagnosed in the last five years or have any other breast problems. In addition, patients should not be pregnant or breastfeeding and should not have received a screening mammogram in the past 12 months. Patients must be over 40. However, patients as young as 30 may qualify if their mother or sister was diagnosed with breast cancer.