Virtua Health to offer free mammograms in New Jersey over the next month

Virtua Health will offer free mammograms and other cancer screenings at a mobile clinic that will stop at locations around South Jersey through late November.

In a news release, Virtual officials said it can be difficult for some women to schedule annual mammogram appointments, because of work or family commitments, a lack of transportation, or issues with insurance coverage. The clinic, housed on a 40-foot truck, aims to remove some of those barriers.

Patients must make an appointment at the clinic but do not have to come with a prescription for a mammogram. The clinics will offer 3D mammograms, clinical breast exams, gynecologic exams, and Pap tests.

The clinic can also provide take-home colorectal cancer screening kits and refer patients for colonoscopies. Men without insurance can receive blood screenings for prostate cancer.

The mobile clinic visits include options for patients with and without insurance.

Patients without insurance can call 856-247-7388 to make an appointment for one of the following clinic dates. Eligible patients include women ages 21 to 64 and men 45 to 64. They also must live in New Jersey, have an income less than 250% of the federal poverty level, and be uninsured. The health system noted that men who have concerns about breast or chest tissue cannot be seen at the mobile clinic because they require different testing; they should contact their doctor.

Patients with insurance can call 856-246-4276 for an appointment for one of the following clinic dates. Women over 40 are eligible for mammograms, unless they have a history of breast cancer. Women over 21 can get a Pap test.