GRAND COULEE — Coulee Medical Center will hold its Walking Together for Mammograms health fair and walk Thursday, to help put a new mammography machine to use. 

“We just got a 3-D mammogram machine, and it’s super nice,” said Eliza Seylor, executive assistant at CMC. “It takes 360 (-degree) pictures. Any money that we get (from the walk) goes into a bank for those who cannot afford (mammograms). 

The event starts with a health fair featuring information from the hospital experts about the importance of breast cancer screening, Seylor said, and raffle tickets will be sold then as well. 

After that, the walkers will set off on a round-trip of about a mile, Seylor said. 

“There's a walking path right behind the hospital across the street,” she said. “The loop goes from the hospital down to North Dam Park and back.” 

The suggested donation for the walk is $25, Seylor said. 

A 3-D mammogram offers a big advantage in detecting breast cancer, according to the Mayo Clinic. Breasts are made up of dense tissue, including milk glands and ducts, supportive tissue, and fatty tissue made . A 2-D mammogram can easily see through the fatty tissue but not the dense tissue, but a 3-D scan allows doctors to look at the breast tissue from all sides. 

Coulee Medical Center received its 3-D machine in April, Seylor said. 

This is the first time Coulee Medical Center has held the walk, Seylor said. 

“We’re hoping that we have a big turnout and we can keep it as an annual thing,” she said. 

    Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee will hold its first Walking Together for Mammograms health fair and walk Thursday, to help people in need pay for mammograms.
  

    Scan this QR code to register for Coulee Medical Center’s first Walking Together for Mammograms.