Breast screening for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
Breast cancer is the most reported cancer among Victorian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. Learn about our approach in making our screening services more accessible, culturally safe and inclusive.
Addressing barriers to breast screening
When breast cancer is detected and treated early, survival rates are much higher.
We know that some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are less likely to undergo breast screening due to:
- Lack of information
- Fear and anxiety around the screening process
- Negative experiences with healthcare services
- Lack of encouragement from healthcare professionals to attend a breast screen
As such, we have developed a coordinated approach in making our service more accessible, culturally safe and inclusive.
A roadmap to guide our efforts
To understand the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, we work closely with:
- Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs)
- The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO)
- Our Aboriginal Consumer Advisory Group
Together with women from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities, we have developed a program of work to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have fair and inclusive access to culturally safe breast cancer screening services.
We have also developed a Reconciliation Action Plan to guide our improvement efforts.
How you can access our breast screens
Group bookings
If you live in a regional or remote community, it may be difficult to get to a breast screen. We can help by organising group bookings so you can travel together and support each other.
In some cases, we can arrange group transport assistance – as well as familiarisation visits.
We also offer group bookings for ACCOs involved in the Beautiful Shawl Project, at both our mobile screening service and fixed clinics.
Aboriginal Co-operatives | The Beautiful Shawl Project
If you live in a rural community or you’re unable to visit our clinics for any reason, you can consider our mobile screening service (MSS).
We have transformed 2 vans into fully functioning mobile screening clinics.
We visit over 19 ACCOs once every 2 years as part of the Beautiful Shawl Project.
The Beautiful Shawl Project
BreastScreen Victoria and the VACCHO have partnered with ACCOs and Aboriginal-led Services across the state to reduce barriers to breast screening through The Beautiful Shawl Project.
The Beautiful Shawl Project is a community-led initiative – driven by the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and steered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations.
Over 400 women screen through the Beautiful Shawl Project annually – and the number is growing each year.
In June 2024, we reached the milestone of 1,000 women screened through the program.
