On Monday, December 23, 2024, the Town of Kearny hosted its first ever Mammography in Motion Mammogram Screenings Mobile Unit at Kearny Town Hall. The event, led by Kearny resident Ava DeCastro Lawdanski, Girl Scout Ambassador and Senior at Mount Saint Dominic Academy, who is working towards her Girl Scout Gold Award provided an opportunity for uninsured and insured Kearny residents to receive a mammogram screening administered by health care providers from University Hospital.
Mayor Carol Jean Doyle and First Ward Councilwoman Marytrine DeCastro joined Ava DeCastro Lawdanski, Valencia Maponya of the Rutgers Cancer Institute of NJ at University Hospital, Mark Swan, Government Relations Manager at University Hospital, Ken McKenna of Minette’s Angels and residents for a brief ceremony and ribbon-cutting at Kearny Town Hall where the mammography mobile unit was stationed for the day. Minette’s Angels Foundation generously sponsored mammograms for uninsured residents. Mayor Carol Jean Doyle, Ava DeCastro Lawdanski, Mina Ekladious and members of the Kearny PBA Local #21 sponsored the cost of a mammogram for three uninsured residents. Ava noted, “many of the residents that scheduled appointments received a mammogram for the first time, an indicator of how access to resources including mammogram screenings can significantly change health outcomes and save lives in our community. It makes me happy that residents received the screenings.”
Kearny residents participated in a slide show presentation and education session on Breast Cancer Awareness which highlighted the importance of saving lives through early detection, self exams, and mammogram screenings. There are additional mammography screening dates planned for 2025 with the next mammography screenings mobile unit event scheduled to take place on Friday, January 10, 2025. Appointments are required. Kearny residents may visit www.kearnynj.org to register.