Stronger Together: Celebrating Five Years of Impact

This October, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Order of Malta Clinic of Northern California celebrated the fifth anniversary of its partnership with Sutter Health’s Carol Ann Read Breast Health Center. Together, we are breaking down barriers to care by bringing life-saving breast cancer screenings directly to women who might otherwise go without.

On October 16, Sutter Health’s Mobile Mammography Vehicle returned once again to the Clinic’s Oakland location, the very site of its first screening event in 2020. The 38-foot RV, equipped with advanced 3D tomosynthesis technology, provides no-cost, state-of-the-art mammograms to uninsured and low-income patients.

This year’s screenings introduced a new level of innovation: mammograms are now reviewed using AI-assisted tools to enhance detection and reduce false positives, further improving accuracy and patient outcomes.

“Early detection is the best defense against breast cancer,” said Mary Rudolph, NP, board member and head of the Clinic’s women’s health practice. “This partnership ensures that our patients, many of whom face significant barriers to preventive care, have access to the same high-quality technology available in any leading hospital.”

Since its launch, Sutter Health’s Mobile Mammography Vehicle has provided more than 3,700 mammograms across the Bay Area, including more than 450 free screenings for Clinic patients.

The Clinic’s partnership with Sutter Health is a reminder of what’s possible when healthcare providers, nonprofits, and community organizations come together around a shared mission: to deliver care without barriers and save lives through early detection.