Miss USA Campaigns Vs. Breast Cancer

By ANNA DITUCCI-CAPPIELLO

Miss USA, Nia Sanchez, lent some celebrity and a smiling face to a serious health issue Tuesday in Manhattan.

Sanchez won her title on a platform advocating women’s health and followed through on Breast Cancer Awareness Month, by reaching out to New Yorkers on the bustling streets of the West Side to provide preventative care by inviting passersby to get tested in a so-called ScanVan.

The Miss USA pageant has been working with ScanVan for five years, providing mobile mammograms in partnership with the New York State Cancer Services Program  to bring diagnostic healthcare to women in all five boroughs.

“I’ve learned so much. It’s now close to my heart to get women tested and diagnosed early,” said the pageant queen and advocate for breast and ovarian cancer care. Sanchez said her platform and mission as Miss USA was concerned with “empowering women.” She elaborated, “women’s empowerment works on so many levels, especially being able to be in control of your body.”

Sanchez represents the U.S. in the Miss Universe contest in January.

Typically, one would need a doctor’s referral to get a mammogram, but ScanVan makes it possible for women over 40 who may be uninsured (though services are open to insured women as well) to refer themselves. Potential patients can place referrals over the phone, or simply walk into one of the remote locations to begin the paperwork and screenings. The mobile health center operates seven days a week, throughout all five boroughs.

“In October, that’s when things get crazy,” said director Mary Solomon, “but we’re out here all year providing care.”

ScanVan works with health centers such as the Al Hirschfield Free Health Clinic in Midtown West, which predominantly provides care to actors who may not have access to steady insurance. They also work with the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center in Chelsea, the largest provider of healthcare to the LGBT community in the city.

“We’re aligning ourselves with those who have access to those women,” Solomon said.

The mammograms take place in the 40-foot-long van itself, and then the images are uploaded into a server where a doctor can access them remotely. Patients are either notified by mail or phone call within ten business days. There is also a private exam room where patients can meet with a nurse. Solomon went on to explain the further care that can be accessed through the van’s services, “not only screening, but diagnostics as well.”

ScanVan partners with Columbia-Presbyterian hospital, and through grants, matches patients with doctors there for further care, waiving co-pays and medical costs.

While explaining the van’s mission outside the Al Hirschfield Free Clinic, Solomon caught the attention of a woman walking by. “When was the last time you had a mammogram?” she asked. The woman admitted to it being a “long time” and Solomon promptly led her inside the van to meet with a nurse and begin paperwork. “And that’s what we do,” Solomon said, beaming as she exited the van.