Bonnie’s Bus offers mammograms

Will visit Paw Paw Dec.7, Clarksburg Dec. 8, Rowlesburg Dec. 9, and Wellsburg Dec. 10

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Bonnie’s Bus, a digital mammography center on wheels, will visit Morgan, Harrison, Preston and Brooke counties, offering digital mammograms and breast care education to women. A service of WVU Healthcare, Bonnie’s Bus will be at the Mountaineer Community Health Center in Paw Paw from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 7; at the Clarksburg Mission from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 8; at the Rowlesburg Clinic from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Dec. 9.; and at the Brooke County Public Library in Wellsburg from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Dec. 10.

The mammograms are not free, but billing to insurers is provided.  Women who lack insurance may be matched to government or nonprofit charities. A physician’s order is needed for a mammogram. For a Bonnie’s Bus appointment at the Mountaineer Community Health Center call 304-947-5500, at the Clarksburg Mission call Health Access at 304-622-2708, at the Rowlesburg Clinic call 304-454-2421, and at the Brooke County Public Library call the Brooke County Health Department at 304-737-3665.

During its first year on the road in 2009, the 40-foot long Bonnie’s Bus travelled 9,000 miles, visited 20 counties and provided nearly 400 mammography screenings. The goal for 2010 is to make at least 60 site visits throughout West Virginia with a focus on communities that have high breast cancer mortality rates.

Bonnie’s Bus represents a statewide partnership of women’s groups, clinicians, public health professionals and other community leaders working to help reduce the number of deaths from breast cancer in West Virginia.

Made possible by a generous gift from West Virginia natives Jo and Ben Statler to WVU’s Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center, Bonnie’s Bus is operated by WVU Hospitals. The bus is named after Mrs. Statler's late mother, Bonnie Wells Wilson.

For information on Bonnie’s Bus, see http://wvucancer.org.

Attention reporters and editors: If you are interested in covering Bonnie’s Bus when it visits your area, please call the HSC News Service in Morgantown at 304-293-7087 in advance. Out of respect for patient privacy, please do not show up at the location without scheduling an appropriate time for interviews and/or photos.