Mobile mammography makes screenings more accessible

Jill Stone, PT, MPT, senior director of physical medicine & rehabilitation and respiratory care, is a breast cancer survivor who helped launch mobile mammography at TidalHealth.

Jill Stone always had a feeling she was going to end up with a breast cancer diagnosis. But that didn’t make the reality of it much easier when she faced it at just 43 years old.

Stone, senior director of physical medicine & rehabilitation and respiratory care at TidalHealth, had a problematic family history working against her. Having three close relatives who suffered from breast cancer significantly increased her chances of one day staring down the disease herself. Stone began getting routine mammograms at 35 because of the increased risk.

Although her journey was a difficult one, she is now a seven-year cancer survivor. But what the experience underscored for her was the importance of regular testing for women 40 and over as well as those who are younger but face increased risks. She has since made it her mission to help get as many women screened as possible, and that has aligned perfectly with the TidalHealth mission to improve the health of the communities it serves.

“After my diagnosis, I talked to hospital leadership about how I felt like we could do a better job of raising awareness of the importance of mammograms and preventative screening,” Stone said. “Within the walls of our organization, we have 6,000 employees, the majority of which are women. They let me create this breast cancer awareness committee, and we have done all kinds of different things to raise awareness.”

When the potential of introducing mobile mammography into the region came up, the committee teamed with the TidalHealth Foundation to launch a fundraising campaign to support its purchase. The campaign came to a successful conclusion by reaching the $1 million goal in September 2025.

“We know that early detection saves lives,” said Jessica Hales, president of the TidalHealth Foundation and vice president/chief philanthropy officer for TidalHealth. “Barriers to healthcare access is a common problem for rural communities like Delmarva. Often women put their healthcare last, utilizing time off from work for doctors’ appointments for their children, spouse or aging parents. This unit will meet people where they are, to make screenings just a little easier.”

The group launched the campaign internally during October of 2023. TidalHealth team members alone raised $125,000 in just one month. The remarkable feat set the tone for the campaign and provided the spark that the community continued.

“This campaign wasn’t funded by one large donor; it was funded one dollar, one donor at a time,” Hales said. “We didn’t want this to be a typical campaign. We wanted true community buy-in, not just for funding, but for belief and support. This is only the beginning of a journey that won’t be easy, but we know the community is behind it.”

“Philanthropy is personal; each dollar carries a story of sorrow, courage or hope,” added Hales, who lost her mother to breast cancer at just 51 years old. “Each contribution made in honor of or memory of a loved one, regardless of the amount, is represented on the back of the unit.”