Colby Chrysler Center Donating to Marshfield Clinic Mobile Mammography

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

During the month of October, Colby Chrysler Center will donate $100 for every new and used vehicle purchased to the Marshfield Clinic Mobile Mammography in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month.

“My son had a friend’s mom that had breast cancer last year and I thought it would be a great idea to be able to help support awareness for the disease in some way,” said Bill Hanson sales manager. “I feel this is a good cause because there are a lot of loved ones lost to this cancer. We want to help some of the people that may not be fortunate to get this care done for them.”

About 1 in 8 U.S. women (12.4%) will develop invasive breast cancer in their lifetime, but breast cancer is not only a women’s disease — 1 in 1,000 U.S. men will develop invasive breast cancer in their lifetime.

According to Marshfield Clinic, the key to stemming breast cancer mortality is early detection through regular mammograms. When found early, the 5-year survival rate for breast cancer is 99 percent.

Unfortunately, access to mammography service is very limited in the small, rural Wisconsin communities served by Marshfield Clinic Health System. Less than 15 percent of the mammography sites in Wisconsin are in the northern half of the state.

Distance to screening sites, lack of insurance, inconvenience, lack of access translate into below-average breast cancer screening rates and higher death rates for women living in rural Wisconsin.

Marshfield Clinic developed the first mobile mammography unit in Wisconsin and one of the first in the country in 1999. Mobile mammography units can travel to virtually any remote location – parking lots, public health events, or even farm fields – offering access, immediacy, convenience, flexibility, and digital imaging quality.

Since 2013, the mobile mammography team has performed over 28,000 exams and over 5,000 bone density scans, logging a combined total of over 530,000 miles. In 2017 alone, over 5,700 mobile mammography screens were performed. Many reported they would not have gotten screened had it not been for the convenience of the mobile unit.

“Philanthropy has played a major role in getting all three mobile mammography units on the road,” said Mary Beth Knoeck, Marshfield Medical Center Volunteer Fundraising Coordinator. “With support from local Businesses like Colby Chrysler, we are able to both raise the awareness and funds needed to keep these units on the road!”

Visit Colby Chrysler Center during the month of October and for each purchase of a new or used vehicle, the dealership will donate $100 to Marshfield Clinic Mobile Mammography.

Breast Cancer Statistics (SOURCES: breastcancer.org, cancer.net, cancer.org, cancer.gov)