Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan is deepening its focus on early detection and prevention by making it easier for families to take care of multiple health needs in one visit.
The health plan has launched a new, innovative pilot this year that brings two preventive services together at one single event, held at Community Resource Centers (CRCs) throughout Los Angeles County that are jointly operated by L.A. Care Health Plan and Blue Shield Promise.
Members attended the first combined mobile mammogram and well-child visit event at the Community Resource Center in Inglewood on Oct. 11.
“Blue Shield Promise is strengthening its efforts to close critical gaps in care by expanding access and prioritizing convenience for our members,” said Amanda Ruiz, program manager for Blue Shield Promise. “Women may not be getting their mammography screenings completed regularly for various reasons. So we’re trying to make it easier for families to get these preventive care screenings completed in one visit to a location that’s close to home.”
Ruiz said that by combining events, children can get their well-child visits completed, and childcare is available while parents are getting their mammograms. Before each event, Blue Shield Promise representatives call members living within a five-mile radius of an event to schedule them for their essential screenings.
Prevention as part of a bigger effort
The combined preventive screening events are part of a larger effort started in 2022 by Blue Shield Promise with the launch of its mobile mammogram program. By the end of 2025, Blue Shield Promise will have hosted more than 40 mobile mammogram events this year, serving nearly 800 members throughout Los Angeles and San Diego counties. Blue Shield Promise has hosted more than 121 community mammogram events and screened over 2,171 members since the program’s inception.
Mobile mammogram events have also been hosted in collaboration with various community-based organizations and in proximity to local supermarkets in San Diego County.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women ages 40 to 74 who are at average risk of breast cancer get a mammogram every two years. New studies from the Radiology Society of North America show consistent mammography screenings can help reduce breast cancer deaths by 40%.
“This updated information underscores the importance of early detection and the need for programs like these, which can serve as our members’ vital first line of defense against breast cancer,” said Dr. Jennifer Nuovo, chief medical officer at Blue Shield Promise. “When abnormalities are detected at these mobile mammogram events, we can help ensure members are referred directly to a provider for diagnostic evaluation and follow-up care. We know a simple screening can make all the difference for individuals.”
Mobile mammograms in Panorama City
Blue Shield Promise member Teodora Moran stopped in for an appointment at the mobile mammogram event at the Community Resource Center in Panorama City. It was the Van Nuys resident’s first visit to the Center.
“I got a call from someone at Blue Shield Promise, and they invited me to get a mammogram at this Center. They had so many appointment times throughout the day to choose from, and this was close to my house,” said Moran, who had her last mammogram more than two years ago. “So far it’s been pretty good.”
“I was surprised to get a call from my health plan to schedule my mammogram — not my doctor’s office,” said Blue Shield Promise member Noemy Arevalo, a Pacoima resident who was also visiting the Center for the first time. “They called and told me about this place. I just live a few minutes away, and it’s nice that I can get it done here. I don’t have to wait in a long line with other patients at my doctor’s office.”
Blue Shield Promise mobile mammograms and well-child visits are by appointment only. Learn more about breast cancer screenings here. Find your nearest Community Resource Center here.