December 13, 2025 • 10 mins
While getting an annual mammogram is pretty commonplace for many women, the testing isn't always accessible for many reasons: language barriers, a lack of insurance or being underinsured, the inability to get to a clinic, and childcare issues, just to name a few. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's Mammography Van has a solution for that. The hospital has packed up a full mammography suite into a van, making stops around Greater Boston to ensure everyone can get a scan who needs it. Tia Goodman, the Program Director for the Mammography Van, joins the show this week with details.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England Weekend.
We're each and every week right here, we come together,
we talk about all the topics important to you and
the place where you live. Great to have you back
with us this week. I'm Nicole Davis. So when you're
a woman of a certain age and you're getting your
physical done, eventually you're going to get to the point
where your doctor will sit down and say, let's talk
(00:28):
about mammograms. And you might panic a little bit, because yes,
they can be uncomfortable, and everybody's got some kind of
a horror story. But medical experts maintain these scans are
the best way to track down any potential cancer as
early as possible. Now, we're advised after we start getting
these mammograms to get them through most of our adult lives. However,
CDC data shows one out of every four women ages
(00:50):
fifty through seventy four haven't had a scan in at
least a couple of years. As for those of us
women in our forties, it's even worse, as only about
half of us are getting ours done in any kind
of timely. There are plenty of factors at play. If
you're younger, you might not think you need it. You
might be worried about the pain or discomfort. You might
be scared about any result. Logistical issues are a problem,
even the cost if you're under insured. In Greater Boston, though,
(01:13):
that is where the Dana Farber Cancer Institute Mimography Van
comes in. This team running this van is out there
year round. They make their way all over the region
making sure anybody who needs a scan can get it,
regardless of cost or ability to pay. Let's learn more
about the program now, Tia Goodman's here. Tia, thank you
so much for your time on the show, and you
are the program manager. And I've got to say you all,
(01:34):
I been at this for a few years so far,
and it seems pretty successful.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
So the Mobile Momography program started back in two thousand
and two. Initially it was a joint venture between the
City of Boston and Dana Farber. I was told that
Dana Farber leased a van through the city for a
ridiculous amount of money. I think like a dollar per
year and not exangerating when I say that. Nice But
in two thousand and nine, Dana Farber purchased its own
(01:58):
van and since that time, the van's been solely owned
and operated by Dana Farber. We provide just one type
of service on the van, which is screening momography. That's
for those who were do for their annual screenings. They're
not experiencing any issues with their breasts like lumps, pain, discharged,
They're just due for their annual screening. We do all
the guidelines of the American College of Radiology, which recommends
(02:22):
annual screenings beginning at age forty. There are some exceptions
for those between the ages of thirty and thirty nine.
We just have to check patient eligibility for those within
that age range.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Okay, and who are these patients that you're hoping to
access with the van. I'm assuming it's people in underserved areas,
but expand on that a bit if you could so.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Our target population includes those who are non English speaking.
All of the administrative staff in the van is bilingual
in Spanish. When person's trilingual, she also knows Cape, Verding, Creole,
and some Portuguese. So non English speaking anyone who's uninsured
or may have out of network coverage. Danis Farber does
have financial assistance or financial assistance program to help those
(03:06):
who may be limited and you may need some type
of financial assistance with getting the screening covered. Also, immigrant
populations I want to stay on the van. Almost half
of our patients speak a language other than English, so
I believe maybe close to thirty percent this past fiscal
year spoke Spanish as their primary language, so a lot
(03:29):
of our patients are you know, international. They live in
areas of Boston. The van's limited to thirty five miles
from our main campus in Boston, the Greater Boston area,
but the van predominantly visits Boston neighborhoods such as Dorchester, Roxbury.
There are some sites like Building Street Health cent Term
(03:49):
Dorchester that we go to once a month. There's the
Demic Center in Roxbury that's also typically a monthly visit
as well. In Brighton and Waltham there is Charles erbriks
An Health. I think that may be one of our
longest standing partners, but we visit both of those sites
once a month as well, so it's quite a diverse population.
(04:10):
In addition to taking the van to community health centers,
we also go to community based organizations. We've been to
a handful of churches. This past year, we've been partnering
more frequently with boards of health public health departments. Just
yesterday we were at the Situate Board of Health actually
Saint Luke's Episcopal Church in Situate. It's a vanday that
(04:32):
we run in conjunction with the Situate Board of Health.
That's always a popular than visit or van location, especially
diagnostic or imaging services in the area for quite far,
so a lot of people take advantage of the van
when it comes to Situate. We also visit a handful
of corporate sites each year, so we have corporate partners
(04:55):
that will provide us with financial support and we bring
the van to place of the business so that employees
will have access to our services. You know. That's also
very popular aspects of our program because it allows employees,
you know, not to have to travel to an appointment
or take time off or an appointment or going basically
(05:15):
to the parsoning lot, getting their mammogram and going back
to their desks usually within a matter of twenty minutes.
It's even that long.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
We're all about convenience.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
And that's a big factor I think for working people
or people who don't have proper transportation. There's so many
reasons why people don't have access to mammograms. But what
really stood out to me I was taking a look
at your website and it says in twenty twenty three,
I believe it was something to the effect of like
thirteen or fourteen percent of people who had their mammogram
(05:46):
on the van it was their first ever mammogram. And
I think a lot of people take it for granted
that mammograms are just part of part of our healthcare journey,
but it clearly is not the case.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Absolutely so. I'm a daughter of a breast cancer survivor
and I've had three aunts pass away from breast cancer.
So the mission of our program is near and dear
to me, you know, to my heart. So I think,
you know, a lot of people are a little hesitant
because they think of the pain. There can be some discomfort,
but it's a very quick procedure. Our staff are excellent.
(06:18):
Our technologists have years of experience performing homography. You know,
they do a great job of explaining the process to
patients and walking them do the exam. You know, it's
worthwhile the few seconds well I won't say a few seconds,
but maybe thirty seconds or so, of discomfort.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Yeah, it is. And honestly, if you have access and
you can get it done. Oftentimes your insurance will cover it,
even if you're publicly insured. But what if somebody shows
up at the van and says, look, I don't have insurance.
Can I still get screened? Would you take them?
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Yes, we will image them as long as they're clinically eligible,
and we'll work with our financial counselors to make sure
that their screening will be covered.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
So, I mean, you've been out there for twenty years
or so doing this work. You've been able to provide
tens of thousands of mammograms. Are you, still, though, seeing
a need for further extension of your services or do
you think that you're able to cover the neighborhoods that
are of most need at this point?
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Now, I wish we were able to go beyond our
thirty five mile service area because we have gotten quite
a few requests from some sites down the cape. Maybe
in the future. No time. See, I will say we're
short staff of radiologists, and unfortunately that's not an issue
that's limited to us, that's a national issue, so there's
no chance of expanding. Plus, also there are billing compliance
(07:35):
or billing regulations with US trying to expand outside of
the greater Boston area, but future I would love to
have another VAN that could possibly feel further south, maybe
even go out west as well.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
You help people connect with primary care physicians if they
don't have one, and you help connect people to health
insurance as well, because I think so many people, if
I've read this correctly, and I know a lot of
people who have experienced it, there is a significant lack
of primary care physicians and providers out there right now,
and nurses as well. So the fact that you're able
(08:07):
to help out and connect these people, that's going to
be an important piece of the pie too. For the
work you're doing.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
No, absolutely, the majority of our van partners are community
health centers where's there're PCPs who are referring patients to
our vans, So we definitely will assist anyone who needs
help with establishing care in the state of Massachusetts. You
do not need a referral from a provider to have
a screening mammogram, However, we highly encourage it because we
(08:34):
do want you to be involved in the medical system
and covering all aspects of healthcare. But also if you
have an abnormal finding, we'll need to work with your
provider to get the diagnostic order before you can be
scheduled for that imaging.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
How can people find out where the vent is going
to be? Do you post a list online social media?
Like how can people track it down?
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Yeah? So on our website, which needs to be updated.
I apologize in advance, it's just been a little busy
on my end. We do have a list of upcoming
van visits. It states the location and the date, so
patients are interested. Patients. Potential patients are able to check
out our website to learn more. They could also call
our office directly at six one, seven, six three two
(09:18):
or nine seventy four if they are not able to
make it to one of the van visits. We also
have a mimogracy suite at Whittier Street Health Center in
Roxbury that's open on Mondays and Wednesdays. We simply lease
the space from Whittier and it's staffed by Dana Farber employees.
We handle everything.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Phenomenal and again, you do not have to necessarily be
a patient of Dana Farber. This is for anybody who
needs it.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Correct. The majority of our patients have never received care
at Dana Farber.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
All right, fantastic, And what would you say your biggest
advice would be to somebody who's listening and thinking, well,
I probably shouldn't. It's been a while since I've had
an exam, but I'm fine, I feel okay. What would
your advice be to somebody in that position?
Speaker 2 (10:02):
You know, we've gotten a number of phone calls from patients.
You know, we have to ask when was your most
recent mammograham and they'll say, oh, you know, kind of shamefully,
you know, possibly five years or even more. Yeah, And
I just say, you know what, better late than ever. Again,
it's a very short exam. There can be some discomfort,
but again we've got wonderful staff who will walk in
(10:23):
through the procedure. It's just worthwhile, you know, taking the
time to come to the van for twenty minutes. Again,
that's an average appointment in times when people are in
and out within ten minutes, just for peace of mind
and making sure that they're taking care of their breath health.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Well, Tia, thank you so much for your time on
the show. It was really great to have you here,
and thank you for the work you're doing in the community.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
I appreciate you taking the opportunity to listen.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Have a safe and healthy weekend. Please join us again
next week for another edition of the show. I'm Nicole
Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England Weekend.
We're each and every week right here, we come together,
we talk about all the topics important to you and
the place where you live. Great to have you back
with us this week. I'm Nicole Davis. So when you're
a woman of a certain age and you're getting your
physical done, eventually you're going to get to the point
where your doctor will sit down and say, let's talk
(00:28):
about mammograms. And you might panic a little bit, because yes,
they can be uncomfortable, and everybody's got some kind of
a horror story. But medical experts maintain these scans are
the best way to track down any potential cancer as
early as possible. Now, we're advised after we start getting
these mammograms to get them through most of our adult lives. However,
CDC data shows one out of every four women ages
(00:50):
fifty through seventy four haven't had a scan in at
least a couple of years. As for those of us
women in our forties, it's even worse, as only about
half of us are getting ours done in any kind
of timely. There are plenty of factors at play. If
you're younger, you might not think you need it. You
might be worried about the pain or discomfort. You might
be scared about any result. Logistical issues are a problem,
even the cost if you're under insured. In Greater Boston, though,
(01:13):
that is where the Dana Farber Cancer Institute Mimography Van
comes in. This team running this van is out there
year round. They make their way all over the region
making sure anybody who needs a scan can get it,
regardless of cost or ability to pay. Let's learn more
about the program now, Tia Goodman's here. Tia, thank you
so much for your time on the show, and you
are the program manager. And I've got to say you all,
(01:34):
I been at this for a few years so far,
and it seems pretty successful.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
So the Mobile Momography program started back in two thousand
and two. Initially it was a joint venture between the
City of Boston and Dana Farber. I was told that
Dana Farber leased a van through the city for a
ridiculous amount of money. I think like a dollar per
year and not exangerating when I say that. Nice But
in two thousand and nine, Dana Farber purchased its own
(01:58):
van and since that time, the van's been solely owned
and operated by Dana Farber. We provide just one type
of service on the van, which is screening momography. That's
for those who were do for their annual screenings. They're
not experiencing any issues with their breasts like lumps, pain, discharged,
They're just due for their annual screening. We do all
the guidelines of the American College of Radiology, which recommends
(02:22):
annual screenings beginning at age forty. There are some exceptions
for those between the ages of thirty and thirty nine.
We just have to check patient eligibility for those within
that age range.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Okay, and who are these patients that you're hoping to
access with the van. I'm assuming it's people in underserved areas,
but expand on that a bit if you could so.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Our target population includes those who are non English speaking.
All of the administrative staff in the van is bilingual
in Spanish. When person's trilingual, she also knows Cape, Verding, Creole,
and some Portuguese. So non English speaking anyone who's uninsured
or may have out of network coverage. Danis Farber does
have financial assistance or financial assistance program to help those
(03:06):
who may be limited and you may need some type
of financial assistance with getting the screening covered. Also, immigrant
populations I want to stay on the van. Almost half
of our patients speak a language other than English, so
I believe maybe close to thirty percent this past fiscal
year spoke Spanish as their primary language, so a lot
(03:29):
of our patients are you know, international. They live in
areas of Boston. The van's limited to thirty five miles
from our main campus in Boston, the Greater Boston area,
but the van predominantly visits Boston neighborhoods such as Dorchester, Roxbury.
There are some sites like Building Street Health cent Term
(03:49):
Dorchester that we go to once a month. There's the
Demic Center in Roxbury that's also typically a monthly visit
as well. In Brighton and Waltham there is Charles erbriks
An Health. I think that may be one of our
longest standing partners, but we visit both of those sites
once a month as well, so it's quite a diverse population.
(04:10):
In addition to taking the van to community health centers,
we also go to community based organizations. We've been to
a handful of churches. This past year, we've been partnering
more frequently with boards of health public health departments. Just
yesterday we were at the Situate Board of Health actually
Saint Luke's Episcopal Church in Situate. It's a vanday that
(04:32):
we run in conjunction with the Situate Board of Health.
That's always a popular than visit or van location, especially
diagnostic or imaging services in the area for quite far,
so a lot of people take advantage of the van
when it comes to Situate. We also visit a handful
of corporate sites each year, so we have corporate partners
(04:55):
that will provide us with financial support and we bring
the van to place of the business so that employees
will have access to our services. You know. That's also
very popular aspects of our program because it allows employees,
you know, not to have to travel to an appointment
or take time off or an appointment or going basically
(05:15):
to the parsoning lot, getting their mammogram and going back
to their desks usually within a matter of twenty minutes.
It's even that long.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
We're all about convenience.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
And that's a big factor I think for working people
or people who don't have proper transportation. There's so many
reasons why people don't have access to mammograms. But what
really stood out to me I was taking a look
at your website and it says in twenty twenty three,
I believe it was something to the effect of like
thirteen or fourteen percent of people who had their mammogram
(05:46):
on the van it was their first ever mammogram. And
I think a lot of people take it for granted
that mammograms are just part of part of our healthcare journey,
but it clearly is not the case.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Absolutely so. I'm a daughter of a breast cancer survivor
and I've had three aunts pass away from breast cancer.
So the mission of our program is near and dear
to me, you know, to my heart. So I think,
you know, a lot of people are a little hesitant
because they think of the pain. There can be some discomfort,
but it's a very quick procedure. Our staff are excellent.
(06:18):
Our technologists have years of experience performing homography. You know,
they do a great job of explaining the process to
patients and walking them do the exam. You know, it's
worthwhile the few seconds well I won't say a few seconds,
but maybe thirty seconds or so, of discomfort.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Yeah, it is. And honestly, if you have access and
you can get it done. Oftentimes your insurance will cover it,
even if you're publicly insured. But what if somebody shows
up at the van and says, look, I don't have insurance.
Can I still get screened? Would you take them?
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Yes, we will image them as long as they're clinically eligible,
and we'll work with our financial counselors to make sure
that their screening will be covered.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
So, I mean, you've been out there for twenty years
or so doing this work. You've been able to provide
tens of thousands of mammograms. Are you, still, though, seeing
a need for further extension of your services or do
you think that you're able to cover the neighborhoods that
are of most need at this point?
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Now, I wish we were able to go beyond our
thirty five mile service area because we have gotten quite
a few requests from some sites down the cape. Maybe
in the future. No time. See, I will say we're
short staff of radiologists, and unfortunately that's not an issue
that's limited to us, that's a national issue, so there's
no chance of expanding. Plus, also there are billing compliance
(07:35):
or billing regulations with US trying to expand outside of
the greater Boston area, but future I would love to
have another VAN that could possibly feel further south, maybe
even go out west as well.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
You help people connect with primary care physicians if they
don't have one, and you help connect people to health
insurance as well, because I think so many people, if
I've read this correctly, and I know a lot of
people who have experienced it, there is a significant lack
of primary care physicians and providers out there right now,
and nurses as well. So the fact that you're able
(08:07):
to help out and connect these people, that's going to
be an important piece of the pie too. For the
work you're doing.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
No, absolutely, the majority of our van partners are community
health centers where's there're PCPs who are referring patients to
our vans, So we definitely will assist anyone who needs
help with establishing care in the state of Massachusetts. You
do not need a referral from a provider to have
a screening mammogram, However, we highly encourage it because we
(08:34):
do want you to be involved in the medical system
and covering all aspects of healthcare. But also if you
have an abnormal finding, we'll need to work with your
provider to get the diagnostic order before you can be
scheduled for that imaging.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
How can people find out where the vent is going
to be? Do you post a list online social media?
Like how can people track it down?
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Yeah? So on our website, which needs to be updated.
I apologize in advance, it's just been a little busy
on my end. We do have a list of upcoming
van visits. It states the location and the date, so
patients are interested. Patients. Potential patients are able to check
out our website to learn more. They could also call
our office directly at six one, seven, six three two
(09:18):
or nine seventy four if they are not able to
make it to one of the van visits. We also
have a mimogracy suite at Whittier Street Health Center in
Roxbury that's open on Mondays and Wednesdays. We simply lease
the space from Whittier and it's staffed by Dana Farber employees.
We handle everything.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Phenomenal and again, you do not have to necessarily be
a patient of Dana Farber. This is for anybody who
needs it.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Correct. The majority of our patients have never received care
at Dana Farber.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
All right, fantastic, And what would you say your biggest
advice would be to somebody who's listening and thinking, well,
I probably shouldn't. It's been a while since I've had
an exam, but I'm fine, I feel okay. What would
your advice be to somebody in that position?
Speaker 2 (10:02):
You know, we've gotten a number of phone calls from patients.
You know, we have to ask when was your most
recent mammograham and they'll say, oh, you know, kind of shamefully,
you know, possibly five years or even more. Yeah, And
I just say, you know what, better late than ever. Again,
it's a very short exam. There can be some discomfort,
but again we've got wonderful staff who will walk in
(10:23):
through the procedure. It's just worthwhile, you know, taking the
time to come to the van for twenty minutes. Again,
that's an average appointment in times when people are in
and out within ten minutes, just for peace of mind
and making sure that they're taking care of their breath health.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Well, Tia, thank you so much for your time on
the show. It was really great to have you here,
and thank you for the work you're doing in the community.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
I appreciate you taking the opportunity to listen.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Have a safe and healthy weekend. Please join us again
next week for another edition of the show. I'm Nicole
Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio
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