BreastScreen Victoria provides free mammograms to eligible Victorians over the age of 40. And, as an inclusive service, we are committed to removing as many barriers as possible between you and getting a breast screen.
Part of this commitment is making sure that our service is an inclusive and safe environment for everyone who walks through our doors to screen, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation.
To help us achieve this we have started our journey toward achieving a Rainbow Tick: a program for organisations to ensure they are reaching the required standards for providing a safe and inclusive practice and service delivery for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex (LGBTI) people.
We’ve reviewed our website and other information to use inclusive language, created new web pages with information specifically for our LGBTI and TGD clients , and developed a breast/chest health information sheet for trans and gender divers (TGD) people screening. We have a dedicated podcast coming up in February to discuss the barriers that exist for these communities and how we overcome them. We’re rolling out training for staff to ensure we are all educated on LGBTI and TGD health and plan to run group screening sessions for LGBTI and TGD people to help encourage attendance and provide a safe space to put their health first.
We want our clients to have the best health outcomes through the early detection of breast cancer, when treatment is most likely to succeed. We will continue to work towards this goal with the help of consultation with the LGBTI community to ensure the steps we are making are relevant and on track.
Our Business Coordination Unit will be applying for the Rainbow Tick first, and we’ll then look to accredit our Screening Service Providers and Reading and Assessment Services. Read more about how these three levels of operation work with each other on the Our Program page.