Mobile mammography unit helps fight breast cancer

The Susan G. Komen organization is teaming up with One World Community Health Centers in Omaha to provide an intimate and personal health examination for women, and it's in a parking lot.

The exam room is located in a van in the parking lot of One World Community Health Center.

"We have one mammography van in the entire state. Soon we'll have two, but the flexibility that this allows the fact that it's parked here on a routine basis. As much as our donations allow. It gives the women a safe, secure location to come and get screened," said Karen Daneu, with Susan G. Komen Great Plains.

Bringing the doctor to the patient is vital, especially for women who don't get or don't know about mammograms and how important they are.

"Often times Hispanic women are the least likely to get a mammogram in their life. Some of that has to do with cultural differences, some of it has to do with education, some of it has to do with social mores," Daneu said.

Mammography is a way to screen for breast cancer. Daneu said that makes it extremely important to get screened regularly, but for some, they've never had a mammogram in their life.

One World is a full service primary care facility. They provide the parking space for the van and work together with the Susan G. Komen organization.

"IT means that if a woman has the starting of breast cancer, we can catch it and we're saving lives. Without Komen, we couldn't do it. Our mission is care for women who don't have access to services, and Komen helps us with that," said Andrea Skolkin, CEO of One World.

The van will cover a lot of miles to meet the Susan G. Komen organization's goal of reducing breast cancer deaths in the United States by 50 percent by 2026.