BreastCheck finally available for Clare women

A 12-year wait for the provision of mobile free breast screening for the majority of eligible women in Clare has finally ended.
Following years of broken promises since this initiative was first launched in 2000, the National Breast Screening Programme will begin providing women aged 50 to 64 in Clare with free mammograms from Monday.
Up to 2,900 women living in Ennis and surrounding areas will be invited for screening at a mobile digital screening unit located in the grounds of Clare County Council, New Road, Ennis over the coming months.
In August 2009, women living in North Clare, including Lisdoonvarna, Abbey and Drumcreehy, were previously screened at the BreastCheck Western Unit in Galway.
Eligible women aged between 50 and 64 living in Ennis and surrounding areas will begin receiving letters from BreastCheck with information about breast screening.
Following this, women will automatically receive an appointment by post, giving a minimum of seven days’ notice of their appointment.
If the appointment time or date doesn’t suit, a woman can easily rearrange by calling the BreastCheck Western Unit on 091 580 600.
A BreastCheck mammogram is a simple procedure and the appointment takes approximately half an hour in total. The mammogram itself only takes a few minutes. The aim of screening is to detect early breast cancer. The vast majority of women screened are found to be perfectly healthy with less than one per cent diagnosed with cancer.
BreastCheck advises all women aged 50 to 64 to check that they are on the BreastCheck register. Women can check that they are on the register by calling Freephone 1800 45 45 55 or checking online at www.breastcheck.ie. Once on the register and known to the programme, women will automatically receive an appointment when BreastCheck is screening in their area.
If a woman is not on the BreastCheck register, there are two simple ways to have her details added. She can either register herself online in the ‘self search and register online’ section of www.breastcheck.ie or there are registration forms available from BreastCheck that can be completed and returned by Freepost. These forms are available on request by calling the BreastCheck information line on Freephone 1800 45 45 55.
The Government-funded programme is offered on a two-yearly cycle.
BreastCheck director Tony O’Brien, encourages all women invited for a mammogram to attend their appointment.
“While BreastCheck encountered some delays in bringing the service to the women of County Clare, I am delighted that screening will now commence. The aim of BreastCheck is to reduce deaths from breast cancer by finding and treating the disease at an early stage.
“Once screening of these women is complete, BreastCheck will begin inviting women from the next screening area for their mammogram and will continue to invite women on an area by area basis until all eligible women aged 50 to 64 living in County Clare have been offered an appointment.”
A specialist BreastCheck multi-disciplinary team provides the screening service to women. Quality assurance standards in operation throughout BreastCheck include the double reading of all mammograms by two separate, specially trained radiologists, the use of triple assessment for women that need further investigation at the BreastCheck Western Unit, Galway and the continuing audit and maintenance of all equipment used.