Odette Butler, executive director of the Breast Cancer Detection Center of Alaska stands outside the center’s mobile unit, which travels thousands of miles to serve rural Alaskans every year. Amanda Bohman photo
Fairbanks-based mobile mammography unit makes yearly rounds across Alaska By Amanda Bohman Alaska Pulse
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ok, population 1,258, where Cindy Jernigan rents camping spots and cabins, has limited health care services. Jernigan typically takes care of her health needs while living Outside during the winter, she said. “I do not have medical insurance. Knock on wood, I stay healthy,” said the owner of Tok RV Village and Cabins. When the Breast Cancer Detection Center of Alaska’s mobile unit visited Tok last summer, Jernigan had a mammogram. It was convenient. Tok sits along the Alaska Highway 12
September 2020 — AlaskaPulse.com
93 miles from the Canadian border. To otherwise get a mammogram in Alaska, Jernigan would need to travel hundreds of miles. “It was so nice to be able to stay here in the community and have that done,” she said. “The results were sent to me, and it worked out perfectly. I think they provide a wonderful service to the smaller communities. I’m grateful. They take care of ladies that need this.” Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Alaska. Since 1986, the BCDC mobile detection program has served thousands of rural residents, traveling to communities from Dutch Harbor to Central.
Only about 20 communities in Alaska have mammography capabilities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On the road with a mission
The mobile imaging technology has changed but the goal—saving lives— has persisted. Early detection is key, according to Odette Butler, executive director of the Breast Cancer Detection Center of Alaska. “The longer you wait, the harder it is to treat,” she said. The Breast Cancer Detection Center
