Don’t Miss the Bus! Screen for Life Coach Returning to the Region

Returning to the region this spring for a full travel season is the Screen for Life Coach – a mobile health screening service that provides breast, cervical and colon cancer screening to more than 70 different locations in Northwestern Ontario.

Lauren Beach, Mobile Coach Lead at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, is preparing for the upcoming travel season. “We are excited to get the Coach back on the road! Our team of registered nurses and medical radiation technologists look forward to providing high-quality health care services, and seeing some familiar faces in the region,” insisted Beach.

The Coach increases access to important cancer screening services to help detect breast, cervical and colon cancers, making it easier for people in Northwestern Ontario to participate in cancer screening. In our region, screening rates need to improve, as the percentage of eligible individuals who are overdue for screening is high. According to the Cancer Quality Council of Ontario, for our region only 61.8% of women are up-to-date with breast cancer screening, 59.0% are up-to-date on their cervical cancer screening, and 42.8% of adults, between the ages of 50 and 74 years, are overdue for colon cancer screening.

In Ontario, the cancer screening guidelines for average risk men and women are as follows:

• Women, who are between the ages of 50 and 74 years, should have a breast cancer screening mammogram every 2 years.
• Women between the ages of 21 and 69 years, who have ever been sexually active, should have a Pap test to screen for cervical cancer every 3 years.
• Men and women, between the ages of 50 and 74 years who have no first-degree family history of colon cancer, should complete a fecal occult blood test (FOBT) kit every 2 years.

All of these cancer screening tests are provided on the Screen for Life Coach. Regular cancer screening can detect cancer in its early stages, when it is less likely to have spread and is easier to treat.

The Coach travels from Wawa to the Manitoba Border, and everywhere in between, including many First Nation communities. In some cases, the Coach may be in a community more than once throughout the travel season, however, Beach urges residents not to wait. “As the saying goes, don’t miss the bus! Get screened when the Coach is in your community. Make cancer screening a priority and call us to avoid having to travel for your appointment,” encouraged Beach. Men and women who are eligible for cancer screening services can book an appointment today by calling: 1-807-684-7777 or 1-800-461-7031. For the full travel schedule and a virtual tour of the coach, visit: www.tbrhsc.net/screenforlife.