Blanche River Health Increases Breast Cancer Screening Capacity
Minimum age for self-referral lowered from 50 to 40.
Ontarians can now book mammograms without referrals beginning at age 40, and Blanche River Health (BRH) is ready to accommodate an expected increase in breast cancer screening, announced Jorge VanSlyke, President and CEO, Blanche River Health.
“I applaud the Ontario government’s commitment to the early detection of breast cancer, and I encourage women aged 40 and above to book their screenings,” she said. “Our diagnostic imaging team has been preparing to accommodate an increase in mammograms, which are key to lowering the risk of dying from breast cancer.”
“Nearly 12,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, and we know early detection and increased access to care saves lives,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health in a 2023 news release announcing the expanded program. “That is why our government is taking this important step today to expand the Ontario Breast Screening Program to connect more than 305,000 additional people to the services they need to ensure timely diagnosis and access to treatment as early as possible.”
A mammogram is an X-ray picture of the breasts that can find cancers even when they are too small for you or your doctor to feel or see.
Appointments for mammograms can be made by calling Blanche River Health at 1-866-274-7774 or the Ontario Breast Screening Program at 1-800-668-9304.
For information on how to prepare for your mammogram and what to expect, visit www.cancercareontario.ca.
After you get tested at Blanche River Health
If your test results are normal, you will be notified by mail from Cancer Care Ontario.
If your test results are not normal, Blanche River Health will notify your doctor or nurse practitioner (providers) and may help schedule a timely follow-up appointment. Your provider can arrange for more testing if required.
If you do not have a provider, the Ontario Breast Screening Program will assign one for you who will follow up on your results.
About Blanche River Health
Blanche River Health is a 74-bed hospital corporation with two sites serving the North Eastern Ontario communities of Englehart (26 beds) and Kirkland Lake (48 beds) as well as residents in surrounding areas. Our mission is to make health care work for you. BRH values people and continuous improvement and we demonstrate this through accountability, respect, and courage to excel.
Pictured
Diagnostic Technologists Jessica Bracher and Natalie Brissette with the Blanche River Health mammography machine, ensuring quality care in the mammography screening room.