Residents in Salmon Arm now have access to a new mammography unit at Shuswap Lake General Hospital.
The new mammogram machine was unveiled during an open house at the site on Oct. 4, a month before screenings begin in November.
“Having mammography in Salmon Arm has been a great advancement for our community,” noted radiology tech at Shuswap Lake Hospital Kim Mead. “It’s allowing patients to receive a service locally rather than travelling kilometres down the road.”
Residents needing a mammography would previously have to travel to Vernon or Kamloops, or access the once-a-month mobile mammography service to stop in Salmon Arm.
The Shuswap Hospital Foundation, which fundraised $3.3 million for both the mammography unit and CT scanner, hosted the open house.
Many of the attendees are breast cancer survivors themselves and are part of the local Shuswap Dragon Boat Society.