New walk-in mammogram clinic located inside Hanford Wal-Mart

HANFORD, Calif. (KFSN) -- Inside the Walmart Super Center Store in Hanford, women can walk in to Mammogram Now and get a screening done.

Irene Medina came from Corcoran to get her mammogram. It was her first time visiting the clinic, "At first, it was like, really? In walmart? But, well, I thought, I'll try it."

The group Radnet manages the Mammogram Now clinic inside Walmart. It launched it back on August 1st.

The Hanford location is their second site to open, with the first being in Delaware.

Marilyn Schubert, Radnet's regional operations manager, said, "This is a great pilot project that Radnet has partnered with Walmart and is bringing accessibility, convenience, and cost-effective breast screening exams to women in the community."

Inside the Mammogram Now clinic, women check in at the front desk, where they are then taken to a space to prep for their mammogram screening and head into the exam room.

Ana Morales has been a mammography tech for twenty years. She wants to make the women coming in to get their screening feel at ease.

She knows the process can be nerve-wracking-especially for first-timers, "Comfort is a big thing; it's a lot less uncomfortable than it used to be."

Since opening last month, Mammogram Now has seen many patients come in to get their screenings.

Schubert tells Action News that having the clinic inside Walmart is convenient and provides more women's health services in the area.

"We have such an underserved population in this small rural community that it's a great thing to have."

With Breast Cancer Awareness month around the corner, health experts stress that early detection is key.

According to the American Cancer Society, it's recommended that:

• Women between the ages of 40 to 44 should start annual breast cancer screening.
• Women 45 to 54 should get mammograms every year.
• While women who are over 55 should get mammograms every two years or continue their yearly screenings.

Irene Medina knows, "Cancer can hit at any time."

Getting her mammogram done every year gives her peace of mind.