BreastScreen Sunshine Coast and Wishlist are on a mission to
increase the number of local ladies getting regular checks, by creating a much
more pleasant environment at the Nambour BreastScreen clinic.

In a Queensland
first, Sunshine Coast women will soon have access to state-of-the-art Lighting
and Sensory Distraction Suites for their regular and follow-up breast screens.
The innovative approach is set to significantly improve what has historically
been an uncomfortable experience.

It is hoped that the therapeutic suites will lift the
Sunshine Coast’s breast screening rates in women aged 50-75 from 56% to meet
the national accreditation standard of 70%.

Improving participation in regular breast screens will also help
to reduce rates of illness and death as a result of Breast Cancer.

Research by the University of Wollongong for Queensland
Health in 2015, found pain, discomfort, self-consciousness and embarrassment
are major barriers to women getting regular breast cancer screenings.

BreastScreen Sunshine Coast’s Kelly Hart said it can be an
unpleasant experience.

“Women who attend the Nambour Assessment clinic know that
there is a chance that either themselves or one of the other women at the
clinic will be told they have breast cancer.

“As a result, many women who attend the clinics experience
high levels of stress,” she said.

Kelly said the Lighting
and Sensory Distraction Suites will be a huge benefit to women on the Sunshine
Coast and will greatly reduce anxiety and perceived pain for those undergoing
screening mammography and mammography guided biopsies.

“Sensory distraction is a commonly used and endorsed
strategy for controlling or reducing the perception of pain, which in turn can
reduce the amount of stress experienced by women. 

“It is expected that the sensory suite virtual window and
skylight installations will assist in distracting women from the procedures
they undergo as part of the assessment clinic and thereby improve their
experience,” said Kelly.

The screening and assessment suits will include indigenous
artwork, aromatherapy, mood lighting, a wall wrap and a virtual window and
skylight which will contain images of some of the relaxing and beautiful
environments on the Coast.

Women attending the clinic will be able to choose which
music and landscape they’d like during their assessment.

Buderim Foundation has partnered with Wishlist to help make
this important project become a reality, by donating $4,000. The remainder of
the $21,000 needed for the suites will be funded by Wishlist with proceeds for
the foundation’s annual Melbourne Cup Event at the Sunshine Coast Turf Club,
thanks to Spire Law.