Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center and The Larry Fitzgerald Foundation have entered a year-long agreement aimed at ensuring that everyone in the Phoenix area in need of a mammogram has easy access to get one on The BIG Pink Bus, a 3D mobile mammography unit that just hit the road this year.

Banner MD Anderson has joined TLFF’s Breast Believe Campaign, which educates communities about early detection, prevention, symptoms and access surrounding a breast cancer diagnosis, a press release stated. 

With this agreement, Banner MD Anderson will ensure The BIG Pink Bus is present at several events over the next year to help the Arizona population stay up to date on their breast health. A team of Banner MD Anderson radiologists will provide follow-up care, if needed. 

In addition, the Banner MD Anderson team will provide educational material on breast health for those passing by.

Banner MD Anderson diagnostic imaging division chief Dr. Phillip Koo said in the release that this partnership with the foundation is a natural next step for the healthcare provider’s vision for The BIG Pink Bus.

“And Breast Believe directly aligns with what we want to achieve — ensuring everyone is knowledgeable about their breast health and have equitable access to screenings. We are grateful to Larry and his team for bringing us on, and we look forward to driving change together,” Dr. Koo said.

The Larry Fitzgerald Foundation and the Breast Believe Campaign, rooted in the understanding that access to organizations providing support, financial assistance and breast health advocacy is paramount, has agreed to partner and bring Banner MD Anderson’s BIG Pink Bus to communities, organizations, health fairs and other events across the state.

Founder Larry Fitzgerald Jr. said in the release that he’s extremely proud to joining Banner MD Anderson in its BIG Pink Bus initiative to provide mammograms alongside their Breast Believe partners.

“This collaboration will further assist in our mission to remove barriers to access and provide equity when it comes to breast health,” Fitzgerald said.

Nationally, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, and other reports repeatedly show that Black and Latina women are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer at an advanced stage, the release explained. Cases are also rising in younger women, making early detection and education more important.

TLFF executive director Danielle Frost said in the release that awareness empowers change, and the Breast Believe and BIG Pink Bus partnership will allow Valley residents to navigate their own self-advocacy with mammograms being one of the options available when it comes to chest and breast screenings.

“As Breast Believe enters its two-year anniversary, we look forward to working with the remarkable Banner MD Anderson and Banner Health Foundation teams,” Frost said.

The first event with TLFF for the The BIG Pink Bus will be at the Avondale Resource Center, 995 E. Riley Drive, on Nov. 7.

Clinical administrative director at Banner MD Anderson Myeisha Andrews noted in the release that the foundation’s work over the last two decades has given them the opportunity to extend their reach and bring the screening to anyone who want or needs it.

“The BIG Pink Bus truly has the power to be lifechanging… I look forward to working together to achieve this incredibly important goal,” Andrews said.