VA Collaboration Brings Mobile Mammography Bus to Veterans

The mobile service, offered in partnership with CHI Memorial MaryEllen Locher Breast Center, provides on-site mammograms to eligible Veterans, eliminating the need to travel to off-site locations for routine breast cancer screenings. The initiative has become a recurring success for TVHS since its inaugural visit to the Chattanooga VA Clinic last year. After five rounds of bus visits this year, the program will conclude the 2025 schedule during Breast Cancer Awareness Month as the TVHS Women’s Health team begins planning for 2026.

“We’ve definitely had more opportunities this year than last,” said Melissa McNabb, a women’s health registered nurse at the Chattanooga VA Clinic who helps coordinate the mobile mammography events. “We’ve been more proactive about scheduling, and our Veterans have really responded.”

Eligibility for VA mammography screenings typically begins at age 40 for those enrolled in VA health care. However, under the SERVICE Act and PACT Act, eligibility has expanded to include Veterans who may have been exposed to toxic substances during service, further widening access to these life-saving screenings.

Each visit, the mobile unit typically serves between 20 and 30 Veterans, offering quick and convenient screenings. McNabb attributes the increase in participation to improved outreach and automated text alerts sent through VA’s Annie App, a system that notifies Veterans of self-care reminders and available health care services.

“We started using Annie for Veterans messaging to reach out directly to our Veterans and it’s been instrumental,” McNabb said. “They get a text saying the bus is here and can respond right from their phone to schedule.”

When the mammogram bus rolls away, Veterans aren’t left waiting at the bus stop alone to navigate the road ahead. At TVHS, every screening result is reviewed by a breast cancer care coordinator who ensures Veterans receive timely and seamless follow-up care. The specialized clinician reviews each mammography report, assists with diagnostic scheduling, and connects Veterans to additional breast health services as needed.

According to Lynn Daugherty, a registered nurse and the women’s health program manager for TVHS, this personalized approach ensures that no Veteran falls through the cracks.

“Our breast cancer coordinator tracks every mammogram result, makes sure follow-up appointments are scheduled, and stays with Veterans through every stage of the process,” Daugherty said. “Our Veterans know there’s someone watching out for them every step of the way.”

The mobile mammogram bus has proven especially beneficial for Veterans in North Georgia and rural areas, allowing them to access care closer to home rather than traveling to larger facilities in Nashville or Murfreesboro. The Women’s Health team understands that making care easy to access is key to preventive health for Veterans, not just reactionary treatment.
“If you make it easy for Veterans to do preventive health care, they will do it,” McNabb said. “You can tell people all day that early detection can save their life, but convenience makes all the difference.”

Veterans interested in scheduling a mammogram through the mobile bus at the Chattanooga VA Clinic can contact their primary care team, send a secure message through My HealtheVet, or respond to an Annie App text alert when the service becomes available. Veterans who want to sign up for Annie text alerts can ask their primary care team to enroll them.

The Women’s Health team at TVHS hopes to one day be able to provide mammogram imaging for Veterans at every VA facility and clinic so Veterans can receive the same level of care no matter where they go. For now, the final bus visit of the year proved the continued success of the partnership, with all 25 appointments filled.

“Everyone showed up, and that’s what we love to see,” McNabb celebrated.