Screen for Life Coach Kicks off 7- Month Regional Cancer Screening Tour
The Screen for Life Coach is hitting the road to bring cancer screening closer to home for over 35 rural, remote, and Indigenous communities across Northwestern Ontario.
The Screen for Life Coach (Coach) is a mobile cancer screening bus that delivers breast, cervical, and colon cancer screening services in one convenient place. The Coach’s first stop will be in Dryden at the Dryden Regional Health Centre on April 10th, kicking off a 7-month regional tour.
“The Coach makes cancer screening accessible in communities where these services are limited or non-existent,” says Tarja Heiskanen, Manager of Prevention and Screening at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. “In Northwestern Ontario, getting to the nearest cancer screening site may mean long travel times. By bringing these services closer to home, it’s easier for people to prioritize their health and detect cancer early, when it’s most treatable.”
Cancer screening on the Coach is a proactive way of detecting cancer for individuals that do not have symptoms or a family history. “Regular screening is an important part of maintaining good health,” says Caitlund Davidson, Prevention and Screening Coordinator. “Cancers in the early stages don’t often show symptoms. If you feel fine, it’s a perfect time to get screened.”
Who should get screened?
Anyone who is eligible for breast, cervical, or colon cancer screening can visit the Coach.
In Ontario, the screening guidelines for average risk individuals are as follows:
- Women, Two-Spirit, trans and non-binary people between the ages of 40 and 74, should have a breast screening mammogram every two years. New for this travel season, individuals who are 40-49 years of age can now access breast screening on the Coach.
- Anyone with a cervix between 25 and 69 years, who has ever been sexually active, should have a cervical screening test every five years.
- Individuals, between the ages of 50 and 74, who have no first-degree family history of colon cancer, should complete a take-home colon screening kit every two years.
Screening on the Coach is available at no cost for those with a valid OHIP card. A doctor referral is not required for average-risk individuals within the recommended screening age range.
Where to find the Coach
The Coach screens communities across Northwestern Ontario throughout the summer months and screens the Thunder Bay area during the winter months. A full list of dates and locations is available at tbrhsc.net/screenforlife.
How to make an appointment
Those looking to book a breast, cervical or colon cancer screening appointment on the Screen for Life Coach should call (807) 684-7777. For those eligible for all three types of screenings, all appointments can be scheduled for one visit. Flexible scheduling options, including morning, afternoon, evening, and weekend appointments, are available. A physician referral is not required.