Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
BreastScreen Coast to Coast Unveils New Digital Mobile Unit
BreastScreen Coast to Coast Unveils New Digital Mobile Unit
17 December 2013
BreastScreen Coast to Coast (BSCC) has undergone a major technology upgrade with the Palmerston North site now fully digital - accompanied by a shiny new mobile unit.
In late 2012, MidCentral District Health Board began upgrading all analogue mammography machines to the new digital variety in response to the National Screening Unit’s requirement that all mammograms be performed digitally.
The diagnostic mammography service that was previously located at the Palmerston North Hospital, was relocated to BSCC, 27 Amesbury Street.
Along with the digital upgrade, BSCC has recently received a new mobile unit which is also equipped with a digital mammography machine. The new mobile unit was necessary and timely because the original unit had reached the end of its working life.
Project Manager Denise Holcroft said that moving to a digital platform further enhances the well established breast screening service already provided to women within the BreastScreen Coast to Coast region.
“Images on the digital machines are produced and viewed within a few seconds, either on-site at Amesbury Street, or on the new mobile unit which reduces the need of a client to come back for repeat imaging due to technical reasons. Previously the films taken on the mobile unit had to be transported back to Palmerston North each day to be processed.
“The digital images are available electronically enabling clinicians to view images at multiple locations, including outpatient clinics and operating theatres.” said Denise.
The digital equipment in the mobile unit has very specific requirements for a stable internal environment in terms of vibration, temperature and humidity. The new mobile unit therefore monitors this environment, while housing a back-up generator to ensure conditions stay constant during transportation and in the event of a power failure.
The mobile unit visits 17 sites across the Taranaki, Whanganui, Hawke's Bay, Tairawhiti and MidCentral District Health Board regions, covering smaller centres from Te Puia in the east to Waitara in the west. Photos of six women representing this wide region are on the sides of the unit.
ends
Keith Newman: Revised Edition Of Ratana Biography Highlights Lasting Legacy
Environmental Defence Society: Groundhog Day, New Book Shows History Is Repeating Itself
NZEI Te Riu Roa: Mandated Single Approach To Reading Will Not Work
The Conversation: Could The School Phone Ban Work?
Public Health Communication Centre: To Avoid A Measles Epidemic, Aotearoa Must Close The ‘Immunity Gap’
Heritage New Zealand: Kid-friendly Archaeology Resource Kit Launched As Part Of Archaeology Week