BUENA PARK, Calif.—A health care organization launched a mobile mammography program in Orange County on Feb. 2 as breast cancer screenings have declined amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study in June 2021, citing breast cancer screening declines by 87 percent in April 2020 in comparison to previous five-year averages for the month—with minority groups with low incomes being less likely to receive care.
To close the gap, health care provider CalOptima in Orange County is focusing its effort on Chinese and Korean members who they say are less likely to receive breast cancer screening.
The program launched Feb. 2 outside the KCS Health Center in Buena Park.
The program will have one mobile clinic that will pop-up in multiple locations in Orange County until April 16. The next clinic will be located at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Anaheim on Feb. 16.
Officials said the familiarity of having the testing done, right in one’s neighborhood, should see more women get the breast scan.
“Getting services in an area you are used to helps reduce anxiety and fear,” CalOptima manager Helen Syn told The Epoch Times.
CalOptima along with Southern California-based Alinea Medical Imaging assisted women gathered around the pink and white mobile clinic waiting to enter the RV-like vehicle to receive care on Feb. 2.
Syn said she anticipates more Chinese and Korean members to take advantage of the mobile clinics that are closer to their homes.
“If it’s too far away it might be a hassle,” Syn said. “Bringing a mobile clinic to where they are is a win-win.”
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