Look for the 39-foot pink and white mobile van.
Belk has invested $6 million to provide free mammograms to women throughout North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee — including women in Lenoir County.
The department store’s BelkGives on the Go Mobile Mammography Center will be parked in the lot in front of the Belk store at Vernon Park Mall from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday.
The program — initiated in January — is part of Belk’s commitments involving women’s health issues.
“It’s great when a local company that has roots here can give back to the community,” Jason Bailey, Belk’s Kinston store manager, said. “… We’re proud to do it.”
Charlotte Radiology is partnering with Belk to provide the mobile center, said Shawna Platé, a marketing and practice relations specialist with Charlotte Radiology.
“The goal of the program,” she said, “is to increase awareness of the importance of screening mammograms and in early detection of mammograms, and to also increase compliance.”
There are no minimum income requirements. Belk is providing screening images at no cost to female patients 40 years and older who have not had a mammogram in the past year and who have a physician, Platé said.
“If they are insured, we will file their insurance,” she said.
The mobile unit is housed with digital mammography equipment, licensed technicians certified in mammography and a board-certified radiologist who specializes in breast imaging, Platé said.
The radiologist will interpret the images and a report will be mailed to both the patient and her primary care physician. If the results require a follow-up, Charlotte Radiology will work with the patient’s physician to transfer the imaging and additional details, she said.
Recent reports have stirred up controversy over at what age and how often mammograms should be performed.
“The physicians at Charlotte Radiology stand by the American Cancer Society and the American College of Radiology,” Platé said, “on the benefit to getting a mammography starting at age 40. Twenty percent of woman patients are diagnosed in their 40s that would not have otherwise known.”
That statistic is consistent with the national figures, she said. In addition, early diagnosis allows for more treatment options, including those that are less invasive, she said.
The mobile center will take about 30 appointments, and the Kinston schedule is nearly full. There is a waiting list for either cancellations or to get a slot in another locality. The van will also be in Smithfield today and Goldsboro on Wednesday.
The van is expected to make the rounds to 113 of the 300 Belk stores this year, and is expected to return annually.
“We’d love to have them back,” Bailey said. “It’s just a way for us to show that we care for our customers, which we do.”
Belk is also holding a “Kidfest” inside its store from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday with a fashion show, games and prizes, Bailey said.
Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @MargaretFishr.
Breakout box
What: Free mammograms — BelkGives on the Go Mobile Mammography Center
When: 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Parking lot in front of Belk at Vernon Park Mall
Call for an appointment: 855-655-BMMC (2662), appointments are filling up; a waiting list is available in case of cancellations