Prior Lake, Minnesota - The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Mobile Medical Unit will provide mammograms in the upcoming months to Native Americans living in several areas in Minnesota. The Mobile Unit will travel to northern Minnesota to the Leech Lake Band of Chippewa reservation and to the Fond du Lac Band of Chippewa reservation. Then in the Twin Cities it will travel to the Women’s Prison in Shakopee and to the Native American Community Clinic and Indian Health Board both in Minneapolis. The Mobile Unit not only houses facilities for mammography and cancer screening but also amenities so that it can function as an Incident Command Unit in the event of a major emergency or disaster.

The current schedule for the Mobile Unit for cancer screenings is as follows:

March 19, 2008 Shakopee Women’s Prison
April 16, 2008 Native American Community Clinic
May 28, 2008 Indian Health Board
June 13, 2008 Fond du Lac

Patients of these facilities or living near these scheduled stops can schedule appointments by contacting their clinics directly. The Mobile Clinic visit to the Shakopee Women’s Prison is for inmates only. Dates for other Mobile Clinic visits will be announced when they become available. The high rates of cancer of all types in Native communities as well as the need for on-site services to improve health screening rates for earlier detection of problems led to development of the Mobile Unit. The latest technology allows for the mammograms to be stored electronically aboard the Mobile Unit and then downloaded and read upon return to the SMSC. Results are then sent directly to patients and their doctors.

"The goal of this project is to offer quality health care services for those who might not be able to get them otherwise. With the Mobile Unit going to other Native American communities, tribal members will be more likely to get preventative health screenings which will allow early detection of disease and hopefully improve life expectancy," said SMSC Health Administrator James Lien.

The Mobile Unit provides services to SMSC Community members and employees during monthly health screening events. The Mobile Unit has already traveled to the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe reservation in northern Minnesota and to the Upper Sioux Community in Granite Falls, Minnesota. The Mobile Unit was introduced at the 2007 SMSC Annual Wacipi where it was utilized as the event command center.

The Mobile Unit has dual purposes. As a Mobile Clinic it has two radiology suites, one for mammography and one for chest x-rays. These suites are fitted with state of the art digital systems that provide screening for breast and lung cancers. The remainder of the Mobile Unit is fitted with a laboratory to screen patients for prostate cancer, diabetes, and other illnesses. There is a larger open space, which can serve multiple functions such as a temporary dental clinic or an emergency medical treatment area. As an Incident Command Unit, it has space and technical capabilities for tactical planning to be used to coordinate services in case of a large-scale emergency.

The Mobile Unit has an emergency response component which includes radio, telephone, satellite, and visual recording of the emergency scene as a part of the command center functions that will be used as needed. "The emergency response component of this unit will allow the SMSC to help out in the event of a local or regional crisis," said SMSC Emergency Services Director Jim Muelken. "We are always looking at ways to be of assistance to the larger community if we are needed."

For more information about a visit from the Mobile Clinic, contact Mobile Clinic Coordinator Christine Michael at 952-233-2964. For more information about the Emergency response component of the Mobile Clinic contact SMSC Emergency Services Director Jim Muelken at 952-233-1077.

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