The opening of the new BreastScreen site means that around 16, 000 women aged 50-74 from the Upper Northern Beaches area now have access to the service within 20 minutes of their home.
Around 1000 women have already had a mammogram at the new site since it opened in July.
This new site replaces a mobile unit, which visited the Northern Beaches every year and is in addition to the screening unit at Brookvale Community Health Centre.
The new clinic has one mammography room with capacity to expand to two rooms to meet future growth and demand.
For women aged 50-74 years, a breast screen every two years is the best way to detect breast cancer early, before it can be seen or felt. BreastScreen NSW recommends Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have a mammogram every two years from age 40.
Anyone with breast symptoms should contact their GP or health worker without delay.
To book a mammogram with BreastScreen NSW, call 13 20 50 or visit book.breastscreen.nsw.gov.au. No referral is required when making an appointment.
Quotes attributable to NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park:
"This new permanent site at Mona Vale Hospital will make a huge difference to the approximately 5000 women every year who are expected to receive screenings.
"Currently women who live within the Northern Beaches catchment need to travel to other sites in Northern Sydney or further away for their two-yearly mammogram.
"This is the first permanent BreastScreen NSW clinic in this area and will ensure local women have access to early detection services."
Quotes attributable to Member for Pittwater Jacqui Scruby:
"Having breast screening services close to home can make the difference between someone having a breast screen and not having one, and that simple fact can make all the difference.
"We know that screening saves lives, so permanent breast screening services are a welcome expansion to our Mona Vale Health Precinct."
Quotes attributable to NSW Chief Cancer Officer and Cancer Institute NSW Chief Executive Officer Professor Tracey O'Brien AM
"Breast cancer affects one in seven women in NSW, taking the lives of our mothers, sisters, aunties, friends and neighbours. We need to take the threat of this disease seriously, and detecting breast cancer through a mammogram in its earliest stages is the key to saving lives.
"I am thrilled that thousands more women now have access to a Breast Screen site all year around making it easier for them to prioritise their health for themselves and their family by booking in their two-yearly mammogram.
"As a mum and a professional, I know how busy life gets and, how easy it is for health checks to slip down the list of priorities but I urge all women not to take their health for granted and to book in their breast screen today."
Quotes attributable to NSW BreastScreen Northern Sydney Director Meredith Kay:
"A screening mammogram is one of the most important things women aged 50-74 can do for their health.
"Detecting breast cancer early increases your chance of survival while reducing the likelihood of invasive treatment, such as mastectomy.
"Around 90 per cent of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history and this is why breast cancer screening is so important for all eligible women."
