North Algoma Breast Screening Program Initiative 2025 (“Boob Bus”)

 On October 2, 2025, the Wawa Family Health Team (WFHT), Lady Dunn Health Centre (LDHC), the Municipality of Wawa, and Sault Area Hospital (SAH) partnered to coordinate transportation for women in our region to access mammogram services, located 2.5 hours away in Sault Ste. Marie.

A sincere thank you to the Northeast Regional Cancer Program through Ontario Health for funding this important initiative and making this opportunity possible.

Thanks to the outstanding staff at Sault Area Hospital’s Diagnostic Imaging Department, 16 women were able to take advantage of this service and complete their mammograms. As a rural community, we know that distance can often pose challenges to accessing care, but this initiative demonstrated that geography does not have to be a barrier when organizations work together to create solutions.

Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing appreciation for the supportive environment and the opportunity to combine screening with social connection. For some, additional imaging or biopsies were offered during their appointments, reducing the need for future travel and ensuring timely follow-up care.

The Wawa Family Health Team is committed to continuing this program in collaboration with our community partners and looks forward to future opportunities to improve coordinated access to Breast Screening services for women in our region.

A special thank you to Katherine Turmelle and Shelley Duplessis (WFHT) for assisting SAH’s Lead Mammography Technologist, Andrea Palahnuk and team on the day of screening and for organizing appointments, Catherine Andrews and Hayley Lamon (WFHT) for participant reminder calls.

Finally, heartfelt thanks to Councillor Cathy Cannon for initiating the conversation that led to this successful collaboration and for championing community participation in this valuable initiative.

Quotes from participants:

"Thanks to the organizers for making it happen - it was awesome." 

" It was so comfortable, the women all sharing a common purpose.” 

"Keep the Boobie going, really helped out a lot of us women."