Essentia Health expands mammography options in our rural communities

As part of our commitment to enhance access to high-quality health care in every community we serve, Essentia Health is excited to bring mobile mammograms directly to patients across our service area.

Beginning Nov. 11, our mobile mammography team will begin making regular visits to Ada, Aurora, Deer River, Deerwood, Hibbing, Pine River and Staples in Minnesota, as well as Valley City in North Dakota. To learn when it will be in your area, please contact your Essentia Health clinic.

“By offering mobile mammography, Essentia is bringing this important screening service directly to the community, making it more accessible for individuals who may face challenges in traveling long distances for health care,” said John Valesano, a radiologist at Essentia Health. “It also eliminates the need for patients in rural areas to travel for breast cancer screenings and furthers our commitment to providing exceptional health care in rural areas.”

A ribbon cutting for this service will be held at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15, at the Essentia Health St. Joseph’s-Pine River Clinic, located at 280 Barclay Ave. W. At the ribbon cutting, you can tour the mobile mammogram unit and learn more about our providers, care options and breast health services offered in Pine River.

This unit is for routine screening mammograms. To schedule an appointment, please contact the Essentia clinic closest to you.

Breast cancer screening, such as mammograms, plays a crucial role in detecting breast cancer at an early stage when treatment outcomes are generally more favorable. By providing mobile mammography services, we aim to increase early detection rates in rural communities, potentially leading to better health outcomes for our patients in those areas.