Spring 2005 Issue
Diary of a Field Visit
CDC Foundation program officer Dacia LaDonis recounts her day with the mobile mammography program at Goshen Medical Center
On October 19, 2004, I went to Goshen, North Carolina with CDC epidemiologist Rachel Barron-Simpson and CDC public health analyst Jean Ewing to visit the Avon/CDC Foundation Mobile Access program at Goshen Medical Center. As I stepped off of the 50-passenger plane at the Raleigh/Durham airport, I was anxious to see the results of seven months of hard work getting the program up and running. I hoped to see that all the paperwork, phone calls and negotiations I had completed at the Foundation, paired with the dedication of the Goshen Medical Center team, were giving underserved and uninsured women access to quality mammography services. I knew the area was rural, but I was taken aback as we passed endless fields of cotton and strawberries during the hour drive from the airport to Goshen.
After introductions and a tour of the center, we talked about the program’s successes and challenges over soup and salad at a local country restaurant. One of the reasons the CDC was involved in the mobile mammography program was to see how the mobile units fit into the larger health care community and if they filled any gaps in the early detection and treatment of breast cancer. In an unofficial lunch-time report, Teela Strickland, the program manager, described the cooperation between the center, the mobile unit, community organizations and local businesses. Carol Price, the mammography technician, enthusiastically told great stories about women who were coming to the unit to be screened.
After lunch, we accompanied the staff to the mobile unit to experience a normal operating day. Employing great strategy, the team had parked the unit in a local Wal-Mart parking lot. After a walk-through of the unit, we helped make signs with markers and glue sticks to invite passing shoppers to be screened. This was guerilla outreach. The program manager sat outside the store distributing information and answering questions about breast cancer screenings.
As we helped welcome the women, I tried to imagine stepping onto the huge unit to get my first breast screening, and was able to appreciate how thoughtful the staff members were, making the women feel as comfortable as possible. The medical staff carefully developed a relationship with each woman, talking to her about the weather, local events, her daily routine…and eventually her health. They emphasized the importance of staying strong and healthy by helping each woman recognize her value to her family and community.
After an afternoon on the mobile unit, we returned to the medical center and saw how the films from the mammograms were processed. I was struck by the combination of elements that made the program a success - from a high-tech mobile mammography unit and film processing, to homemade posters and welcoming smiles.
As we boarded the plane home, I was confident that the efforts of all the partners involved, and particularly those of the caring Goshen Medical Center staff, would make a difference in the lives of women, not only for the grant period but for years to come.
- Dacia LaDonis, CDC Foundation Program Officer