New Bonnie’s Bus makes an impact at Clendenin Health Center

The new Bonnie’s Bus is receiving high approval ratings as it travels to communities in West Virginia.

WVU’s 45 foot, state-of-the-art mobile mammography vehicle was a welcome sight at the Clendenin Health Center this past July. Patients, clinical providers and others liked what they saw and especially appreciated the services the Bus staff provided.

“I'm impressed by the new equipment,” said Carol Melling. “The whole experience was very pleasant. I came in for a doctor's appointment and saw the bus and remembered I was due for a mammogram. I'm happy I was able to get a mammogram today.”

“If the bus did not come to Clendenin women would not have access to mammograms,” said Christy Clayton, office manager at the health center. “It gives every woman an opportunity to get screened no matter what their barriers are. Both patients and staff use the bus because it's convenient. Staff use the bus because it's hard for them to get off work and they can get a mammogram on their lunch break. The bus brings excitement to the area and that was important after the flood. The bus helped to bring a sense of normalcy back to the community after the flood.”

The Clendenin Health Center combines services the day Bonnie’s Bus visits so that women can have a complete well-woman exam. “We try to make it special for the ladies,” said Dr. KC Lovin, a health center provider . “A lot of women walk to the clinic, so Bonnie's Bus makes mammograms accessible for women in the community. Charleston is 30 miles from Clendenin and for many ladies that's a universe away.”

The original Bonnie’s Bus visited the Clendenin Health Center 36 times and provided more than 500 mammograms.