As part of the Quebec Breast Cancer Screening Program (PQDCS), the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) manages a mobile mammography unit offering clinical breast cancer screening services.
Since 2002, a bus equipped with mammography equipment has been making its way around the outlying regions of Quebec to conduct screening tests on women.
Going on the road to reach remote customers
Its primary mission is to provide access to mammography to people living far from designated centres. The mobile unit travels as far away as Nemaska, Waskaganish, Radisson and Blanc-Sablon, among others. This local access considerably reduces travel time for women in the communities served.
The regions identified by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux are visited by this mobile unit every one or two years, with tests available over a few days or weeks.
The INSPQ mobile unit also provides support to regions facing challenges with the screening services they offer, or experiencing long wait times.
The same quality standards as in the designated centres
The medical equipment in this bus is similar to that used in hospitals and private clinics and meets the same quality criteria as that used in the screening centres approved and certified under the PQDCS.
The INSPQ team is made up of 10 technologists, administrative staff and heavy vehicle drivers, and is responsible for planning the screening tests, conducting the tests and managing the results. The test is performed by a medical imaging certified in mammography by the Ordre des technologues en imagerie médicale, en radio-oncologie et en électrophysiologie médicale du Québec (OTIMROEPMQ).
Close collaboration with institutions in the network
The test is offered by invitation to eligible clientele. Working with the INSPQ, the Regional Service Coordination Centres (CCSR) and the network institutions visited are responsible for identifying eligible individuals and making appointments.
Once the screening mammogram has been performed by an INSPQ technologist, the CCSR or the institutions are responsible for forwarding the results to the patient and arranging for further investigations.
The target population includes women aged 50 to 74 who have a letter of invitation from the PQDCS or a medical prescription for a screening, as well as women aged 35 to 49 and 75 and over who have a medical prescription for a screening. Men or transgender people meeting certain criteria may also undergo a mammogram.
With an average of 3,000 mammograms performed each year by our team, the INSPQ is proud to contribute to the health and well-being of women in Quebec.
Key points
The INSPQ offers a mobile screening service mainly for remote communities and disadvantaged groups through the CLARA mobile unit. In these contexts, requests for services are usually coordinated by local or regional managers, who also manage appointments. They play a key role in facilitating collaboration with the INSPQ to organize CLARA’s visit.
If you have any questions or would like to request the services of the mobile screening unit in your area, contact your local social services for more information and to arrange for screening tailored to the needs of your community.
We would like to thank the INSPQ for writing this article and the OTIMROEPMQ for reviewing the content.
Have questions about breast cancer screening? Feeling anxious while waiting for or following medical test results? You’re not alone. Call us free of charge, from anywhere in Quebec, Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 1 855 561-ROSE (7673).