A mobile clinic, the Gynéco Bus, brings free gynecological care to underserved areas, while a local event raises awareness about breast cancer prevention.
Mobile clinic serves rural women
Established by the Department one year ago, the Gynéco Bus travels through a dozen communes to bring healthcare professionals closer to women, particularly in areas facing medical deserts. Healthcare services offered
This mobile clinic offers free gynecological consultations by appointment, with a monthly visit to each commune. "If we observe that needs decrease after having seen a sufficient number of patients, we can space our visits out to once every two months," explains Blandine Vincent, a nurse within the program. Services and limitations
On board, women receive gynecological consultations, contraceptive advice, insertion of IUDs or implants, as well as screenings and palpations. However, the clinic does not have equipment to perform ultrasounds or mammograms. Patients are then referred to nearby health centers. Follow-up support
The Gynéco Bus does not provide regular medical follow-up. However, when a screening reveals a suspicious result, the team accompanies the patient in her follow-up. "We bring something to the patients, and it does good, because women tend to forget themselves," notes Blandine Vincent. Targeting different age groups
The initiative mainly welcomes women in their forties, who are concerned particularly about perimenopause. Older women also use it, often because their gynecologist has stopped practicing and they have difficulty finding a new practitioner. Expanding outreach
The Gynéco Bus team now wishes to raise awareness among more young women. "We would like to implement collective actions among middle school and high school students," specifies the nurse. The Gynéco Bus only receives by appointment, by phone (04 13 31 47 19) or by email (buspmi.rdv@departement13.fr). It will return to Mas-Thibert on Thursday, November 12. Breast cancer awareness event
For the second consecutive year, the Maison arlésienne sport santé (MASS) organized the Octobre rose village. Several local actors participated, including the Nautique Club arlésien, which offers aqua fitness for health, the Cercle d'escrime du Pays d'Arles and the Centre d'information sur les droits des femmes et des familles (CIDFF). Activities and engagement
Visitors were able to discover different sports-health activities, learn about breast cancer prevention and exchange with the professionals mobilized. "The first edition worked quite well. There is a lot of curiosity around our stands," notes Ludivine Santiso, sports educator and sports-health.
