Dr. Suzanne Coopey
Allegheny Health Network (AHN) has kicked off its first “Spring Walk-In Mammogram” campaign, the New Pittsburgh Courier has learned. From now until June 14, AHN is encouraging women over age 40 to just “walk in” to either its North Side (Allegheny General Hospital Breast Center) location (320 East North Avenue) or its North Fayette location (200 Quinn Drive), Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. and get a 20-minute mammogram.
That’s right, no pre-scheduled appointments needed.
“One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime,” said Dr. Suzanne Coopey, director of Breast Surgery for AHN and Chair of the Breast Cancer Program for the AHN Cancer Institute, in a statement. “The idea behind the Spring Walk-In Mammogram Campaign is to make it as easy as possible for women to get a 20-minute mammogram, a potentially lifesaving screening. Due to improved treatments and advocacy for regular mammography screenings, breast cancer mortality in the U.S. has dropped more than 40 percent in the last few decades.”
To be eligible for a walk-in mammogram, one does not have to be an established AHN patient. However, the patient cannot be pregnant or breastfeeding, experiencing current breast issues, or have had recent upper-body surgeries or mobility-limiting surgeries. Additionally, the patient cannot have received a mammogram within the last 12 months, according to a release from AHN.
Patients will be responsible for copays and other out-of-pocket expenses as determined by their health insurance plan.
Allegheny General Hospital Breast Center offers screening and diagnostic mammography, as well as breast tomosynthesis, also known as 3-D mammography, which takes multiple images in “slices” that allow doctors to see internal breast tissue in sharp detail, minimizing false-positive and false-negative readings.
For more information on the walk-in mammograms, visit ahn.org/mammogram.
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