The Screen for Life Coach: Going the Distance to Find Cancer

The Screen for Life Coach is ready to hit the road for their 2023 travel season. Between April and October, the Coach will visit over 40 communities across Northwestern Ontario offering breast, cervical and colon screening. Routine screening is important because it can find early changes that could lead to cancer.

Lori Hamilton, Interim Mobile Coach Coordinator at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, is happy to be stepping into her new role, which includes supporting a team of nurses and medical radiation technologists as they travel across the region.

“Compared to other parts of Ontario, Northwestern Ontario covers a vast geographical area,” explains Hamilton. “Especially for remote northern communities, where the nearest breast screening location can be many hours away. Our goal is to reduce the distance a client has to travel in order to access these health services, and we can achieve this by bringing the Coach to communities throughout the region. By removing this barrier, we hope to improve screening rates in Northwestern Ontario.”

The Screen for Life Coach is a ‘one-stop shop’ where eligible individuals can access Ontario’s three organized screening programs: breast, cervical and colon.

In Ontario, the screening guidelines for average risk individuals are as follows:

• Women, who are between the ages of 50 and 74 years, should have a breast screening mammogram every two years.
• Anyone with a cervix between the ages of 25 and 69 years, who has ever been sexually active, should have a Pap test every three years.
• Individuals, who are between the ages of 50 and 74 years, who have no first-degree family history of colon cancer, should complete a take-home colon screening kit every two years.

Those who are eligible for screening can visit the Coach, even if they have a primary care provider, and no referral is needed to access services on the Coach.

Hamilton shares that the team is optimistic that a successful season lays ahead. “We are already seeing appointment spots filling up and hopefully the momentum continues,” she shares. “We are working with partners in the communities in advance of the Coach visiting to improve awareness about cancer screening, and ensure that those who are due for screening, are making appointments.”

Book your screening appointment on the Screen for Life Coach today by calling (807) 684-7777.

To see the complete travel season schedule, visit www.tbrhsc.net/screenforlife or follow us on Facebook by searching for ‘Screen for Life Coach Northwest’.