This article was originally published in Inside The Walls out of Anson Correctional Institution. It won second place for Best Short-Form Reporting in the 2026 American Penal Press Contest.
Ladies, did you know that Anson Correctional now provides 3-D mammogram screenings without the time, travel and discomfort of outside appointments? No orange jumpsuits, no handcuffs and shackles, no hours-long drive. No parading through hospitals looking or feeling like Hannibal Lecter! Thanks to Rebecca Greene, Regional Director of Nursing and Tom Kenny, Director of Operations for Invision Diagnostics, a mobile mammogram trailer is now providing top quality care to the women of Anson Correctional.
Many women are used to putting their own health on the back burner, either because they prioritize their family’s health and don’t take the time or because they just don’t value themselves enough to think it is important. But advocating for one’s own health is critical, because if you don’t do it, who will? And if you get sick, who will care for those who depend on you?
Nurse Greene wants the ladies at Anson to know that this mobile unit is the highest quality care available in the state, not the “leftovers” they often think they get. This is not state equipment. Mr. Kenny brings this mobile trailer to doctor’s offices and other facilities in small communities that are underserved and don’t have good access to healthcare, providing 20,000 screenings a year. It’s even the same unit that does screenings on his own wife, who is a survivor of breast cancer.
Ms. Greene hopes this top of the line equipment will help the residents feel they get the same quality of care as anyone else. Older 2-D mammogram machines take a flat picture of the breast, much like an x-ray and are not as accurate. This machine uses 3-D technology that takes 25-100 pictures (in slices) then reassembles them into an image that is much more accurate and detailed. Ms. Torres has even arranged for the female staff at Anson to get their mammograms on this mobile unit in October during Breast Cancer Awareness month while they are here at work.
There had been a backlog of over 200 women at Anson waiting for mammograms when the mobile unit first started coming. So far, they have finished about 100 and are committed to getting through the wait list as quickly as possible and then will return on a regular basis for routine appointments.
Several residents were interviewed about their experience getting a mammogram in the mobile trailer. The process has been worked out to run smoothly. They are called down to receiving to wait along with several others and went outside the door directly to the trailer. No handcuffs, no strip-searches, no fuss. For some the whole process took about an hour but others it was less than 30 minutes.
Adrian Johnson had her yearly screening two weeks ago and stated that the trailer was like a doctor’s office inside, the medical technicians were very nice and made her feel welcome. She has already gotten her results in a sealed envelope through the mail. She said it didn’t hurt and “it’s nothing to be sacred about.”
Leiah Helton went last week and had a similar experience. She described the trailer as warm, floral smelling, said the experience was pain-free, anxiety-free and that she looked forward to her appointment next year instead of dreading it. Dorothy Moore said it was “a very pleasant experience; they were very nice. It was just like I was at the doctors office at home.”
Amy Pollard went to receiving and said she had no wait, she was in and out of her appointment in 20 minutes. She said it was her first time having a mammogram and she was nervous because she had heard so much about how mammograms were painful. However, because she had a good friend that died of breast cancer back in 2002 she felt it was important to go ahead and do it. Her experience was not what she expected. She said it was “quick and painless and I recommend any woman do it.” If you are 40 years old or 11 older, medical guidelines say should have regular screenings until the age of 75. After 75 you only need to have one if there is reason such as a lump or your doctor recommends it. As with all preventative care in DAC, there is no charge for mammograms.
If you are due for one and need to schedule a mammogram, you can send a request for information to medical, put in a sick call, or just mention it to your provider at your next visit. You will be put on the current waiting list. Once your name comes up to be scheduled, you will be asked to sign an acceptance for similar to the one you sign for an outside appointment. Ladies, please be mindful that if you sign to accept an appointment and then refuse/do not show up on that day, you are denying someone else the opportunity to have had their mammogram! You should receive your results within 1-2 weeks of your appointment in the mail unless there is a problem; then you will be called to see the provider who will go over the results with you. The mobile unit provides screening mammograms only, so if you need further testing you may have to go to another testing site.
So, ladies please take care of yourself and know that these screenings are important to the health of your “girls.” Do it for them!
