October has been a month full of pink racecars championing breast cancer awareness, but NHRA Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria, driver of the Kalitta Motorsports Patrón XO Cafe Toyota Camry Funny Car is taking things one step further as her team plays host to the Nevada Health Centers ‘mammovan,’ a mobile mammography screening unit, one of only 12 such units in the country, during this weekend’s NHRA Toyota Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The program debuted last year and was a tremendous success.
Any woman over 40 attending the race this weekend is welcome to stop by for a free mammogram. The mammovan is parked behind the team’s pit area. New for this year to address overflow demand, women can also obtain a Pink Pass, a rain check that will let them get the test done anytime before March 31, 2015. The mammovan can make screening stops anywhere in the greater Las Vegas area, including recipient’s homes or offices.
“I’m very proud of this program. We really weren’t sure what to expect when we launched it last year. Nothing like this had ever really been done before, and we were blown away by the response. It inspired a lot of women to come out and take advantage, even women that weren’t originally planning on going to the race” said DeJoria. “Early detection is key. We’re giving women a chance to get screened without having to take time out of their work day, or make an appointment with their doctor, and it’s absolutely free- this is the perfect opportunity to have this important test performed.”
According to Nevada Health Centers, out of pocket costs to uninsured women for mammograms generally range from $250-$300. So far through the first two days, 90 women have taken advantage of the free screenings.
About the author
A writer for Frontstretch since 2002, and editor since 2006, Toni heads up the NHRA coverage for the site. She’s responsible for post-race coverage in the weekly Pace Laps multi-series round-up along with the weekly Nitro Shots column featuring news and features from the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. An award-winning former writer for the Presbyterian Church, Toni works in web design and freelances with writing in North Carolina.
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