BATON ROUGE — In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, FMOL Health has launched a new, state-of-the-art mobile mammography unit designed to bring vital preventative breast cancer screenings to rural and underserved communities across Louisiana.

Breast cancer remains the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of death among women in the state. To tackle transportation and scheduling barriers that often prevent timely care, the custom-wrapped unit will travel directly to primary care clinic parking lots, offering local, high-quality screenings.

The mobile clinic is equipped with Hologic 3D Mammography featuring a curved compression surface for greater comfort. Compared to traditional 2D mammograms, 3D technology delivers more accurate imaging and detects invasive breast cancers earlier.

"Across FMOL Health, we're making significant investments in our facilities, technology, and people... The launch of this mobile mammography unit reflects another important part of that strategy: ensuring care reaches beyond our walls and into the communities that need it most," E.J. Kuiper, President and CEO of FMOL Health, said in a statement.

The unit's maiden voyage includes at least 20 clinics from Baton Rouge to the Northshore, including Baker, Central, Denham Springs, Plaquemine, Assumption and Donaldsonville. 

FMOL Health plans to expand future routes across Acadiana and North Louisiana in the coming months. The unit will work alongside Woman's Hospital's mammography coach to further extend preventative cancer screening coverage across the region.

While Louisiana currently ranks 10th nationally for mammography rates among women ages 40 to 74 (nearly 80% screened in the last two years, above the 74.5% national average), healthcare leaders emphasize that expanding access remains a critical public health objective. Both the Louisiana Department of Health and the CDC recommend annual screenings for women over 40 and those with a family history of breast cancer.