During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Ryan Health Clinic (565 Manhattan Avenue) and American Cancer Society (ACS) hosted a breast cancer awareness fair at the clinic. Women were able to do walk-ins and get screened on the mammogram bus.
As with other health disparities, Black women are more at risk of dying from breast cancer than white women. According to a study by JAMA, Black women diagnosed with the disease between 2011 and 2020 were more than twice as likely to die before age 50 than white women. They are also less likely to be screened early enough to provide preventive measures which is why physicians encourage more Black women to get screening.
The visit from the mammogram bus, also known as the “mammo van,” for patients to do walk-ins and get screened is held semi-regularly by the clinic, last taking place in June and July.
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Through the Voices of Black Women program from the ACS, the fair was aimed at delivering this resource directly to the community, according to Renee Lindo, director of operations at the Harlem Ryan Clinics.
“It makes it easier for them to come to one place that they’re familiar with and come check in, see familiar faces, and be able to get their health care needs met in that way,” Lindo said.
Usually, the process is longer for a patient who wants to get screened because they would need to get a referral from their doctor and then visit other locations for the screening.
Jeannette Delavega, one of the Ryan patients who took part in the screening, appreciated the quickness and the “good flow” of the process, recalling it only took about 20 minutes.
Delavega also said the process made them feel more comfortable.
“Sometimes when you go into a hospital, you feel a little bit of pressure,” Delavega said. “It kind of made us feel a little bit welcoming and less stressful.”
Other community partners featured at the fair included the Department of Social Services and Faith in New York, who provided voter registration and volunteering material.
Lindo said the next mammo van for Ryan will be in December, but people can visit Harlem Ryan Health clinic website to find out more (ryanhealth.org/locations/ryan-adair-community-health-center). Other resources for walk-in screenings include at Lenox Hill Radiology and Harlem Hospital.