University Hospital
Receiving regular mammograms helps women identify and treat breast cancers in early stages – significantly improving the outlook for treatment. In the Newark area, women from historically underserved populations have long lagged the public in their ability to receive timely mammograms. The situation was exacerbated by COVID-19, during which mammography screening volumes dramatically dropped.
At Newark’s University Hospital, among the 2,325 mammograms provided to Black/African American women in 2022, 30% were diagnosed with advanced stage cancer, at which point treatment outcomes are much worse than if diagnosed in an earlier stage.
With an urgent need to increase access to mammograms for women within the Newark community, in 2023 University Hospital Foundation received a $400,000 grant from The Healthcare Foundation of NJ to increase its capacity to “reach people where they are” by launching a mobile mammography screening unit.
With the grant, University Hospital purchased a customized, 40-foot mobile specialty vehicle and a holographic 3D mammogram system. The unit can accommodate t 25 screenings per day. Staff members were hired and trained to support the mobile unit, and the necessary technical and legal compliances were secured. The van was put into service in March, 2024, and 1,026 women received screenings between March and mid-August, 2024. University Hospital is on track to meet or exceed the projected estimates of providing 4,000 mammograms annually through the mobile unit.
The mobile unit will target some of the hardest-to-reach segments of the population, including undocumented immigrants and the unhoused. Partnership will be key to finding and connecting with these women. Partners include a cross section of community-based organizations, corporations, foundations, city, county and state government agencies, and faith-based centers. The partners will provide dedicated space for the mobile van on screening days and promote the screening event to ensure that at least 25 women each day will take advantage of the service.
HFNJ’s grant and University Hospital’s work will facilitate women in the greater Newark area being diagnosed at an earlier stage of cancer – leaving them better able to make choices about their care and receive timely treatments to ensure the best outcomes.