BATHURST could soon have a dedicated BreastScreen building away from the hospital grounds in a bid to make attending appointments easier for women undergoing a mammogram.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Western NSW Local Health District has lodged a development application with Bathurst Regional Council to convert existing premises at 35 Morrisset Street to a medical practice to house a mammography unit.
The plans propose minimal changes to the exterior of the building beyond the erection of a freestanding BreastScreen sign while internal floors will be strengthened to accommodate the mammography unit.
Crucially, the proposed development would allow women who are having a mammogram to access the service away from the clinical setting of Bathurst Base Hospital in a convenient location close to the CBD.
There is also plenty of on-street parking at the proposed site, meaning an end to the fight for parking at the hospital for BreastScreen clients.
A letter to council from Western NSW Local Health District general manager imaging services Steve Adams in support of the DA says the ease of access at the proposed site would “enable far better access for our women”.
He said the proposed location would allow women to easily attend appointments in their lunch breaks.
“We intend to use the building specifically to provide improved breast screening services for the women of Bathurst and the surrounding district,” Mr Adams wrote.
“We will be providing a regular mammography screening program from this building, as well as using it for BreastScreen administration for our Bathurst based staff and clinicians.
“Other activities may include some health promotion or education events for local women and clinicians.”
Estimated cost of the redevelopment of the Morrisset Street premises to a medical practice is $45,000.
The site is on the corner of Morrisset and Rankin streets.
BreastScreen is part of a national program which is jointly funded by the Commonwealth and state governments.
The program encourages women aged 50 to 74 to have a screening mammogram every two years to potentially detect cancers in the breast.
Breast screening can find cancers before they can be felt or noticed and studies show clients have a better chance of survival when breast cancer is found early.
It is estimated that 17,586 Australian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017 and 3087 women will die from the disease.