Fort Wayne, Ind. — Parkview Health has unveiled a new 40-foot mobile mammography coach, designed to improve access to life-saving breast cancer screenings across northeast Indiana, officials announced Friday.

The new vehicle replaces an aging model used for nearly two decades under the Francine’s Friends Mobile Mammography initiative and will bring 3D mammography services to women throughout the 21Country region, including rural areas where access to preventive healthcare is limited.

“We’ve worked hard to make this warm and friendly,” said Denise Andorfer, director of the Parkview Health Foundation. “Many women are apprehensive — sometimes it’s their first mammogram — so we wanted to create a calming environment.”

Meeting Women Where They Are

The mobile unit is part of a broader effort to reduce barriers to breast cancer detection. According to Parkview officials, the new coach is equipped with state-of-the-art 3D imaging technology, designed to enhance detection accuracy and reduce the number of false positives.

Instead of requiring patients to travel to hospital campuses or urban clinics, the coach travels directly to communities, including workplaces, churches, health fairs, and underserved neighborhoods.

The program has served thousands of women since its launch and is credited with catching breast cancer at earlier stages when treatment is more effective.

Retiring the Original Coach, Investing in the Future

The original Francine’s Friends coach — which logged years of community outreach across northeast Indiana — has now been donated to Ivy Tech Community College, where it will be repurposed for student training and healthcare education programs.

“This partnership opens doors for training the next generation of healthcare technology leaders,” said a Parkview spokesperson, referencing a new collaboration between the hospital system and Ivy Tech announced earlier this year.

Streamlined Scheduling and Outreach

Women can request an appointment or view the mobile coach’s upcoming schedule through the Parkview website. The health system emphasized that appointments are open to insured and uninsured women, with financial assistance options available.

Outreach staff have also been trained to provide bilingual support, ensuring that language is not a barrier to care.

A Regional Effort to Close the Gap

Parkview’s renewed investment in mobile mammography aligns with national efforts to address screening disparities — particularly in rural or low-income areas, where breast cancer detection rates lag behind urban centers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has consistently highlighted mobile health units as a key solution to overcoming geographical and socioeconomic health barriers. Parkview’s new coach, funded in part through community donations and corporate sponsorships, serves as a regional model for this approach.

Mobile Mammography Coach At A Glance: