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- Monday - Sept. 15 - Mobile mammograms coming to Hope and Agassiz
Monday - Sept. 15 - Mobile mammograms coming to Hope and Agassiz
Lubna El Elaimy
September 15, 2025
⛅️ High 21C
Good morning!
I’m sure everyone knows someone who has had cancer and who has probably died of it. It’s a terrible disease in all its forms, slowly robbing a person of everything that makes life bearable until the very end. Two close family members of mine died of different cancers, and several relatives have survived other types of cancer, but often at a massive cost to their well-being.
While things have become so much better with advances in screening, people in remote areas sometimes don’t have easy access to screening. With the healthcare system stretched thin, this is hardly surprising.
The good news is that women, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse people in Hope and Agassiz will no longer need to travel to get their regular screening mammograms; the mammograms are coming to their communities on mobile screening facilities.
So if you live in any of these communities, read today’s agenda and book an appointment if you’re due for a checkup.
– Lubna
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Traffic & Weather
🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope
🚘 Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google, and find DriveBC’s latest updates.
🛣 Click here for links to road cameras across the Fraser Valley, including those for the Coquihalla, Highway 7, Hope-Princeton, Fraser Canyon, and Highway 1 in Langley and Abbotsford.
News
Giving 110%: Your local hospital is probably over capacity.
Image of a hospital emergency entrance in Vancouver, BC. Photo: Shutterstock
The situation at BC’s most-overcrowded large hospital has grown considerably worse in the last five years.
Abbotsford Regional Hospital was already operating well over capacity in 2019, before the pandemic hit. Five years later, though, the facility’s decade-old congestion issues have hit yet another dismal peak, according to figures obtained by The Current.
Last year, the Fraser Valley’s largest hospital operated at 128% capacity over the entirety of the 2023/24 fiscal year. Essentially, for every four admitted patients for which the hospital had capacity, ARH’s staff also had to find space for—and time to treat—one additional person. That statistic is the worst of any major BC hospital in the last decade.
But it’s more than just a number; it reflects the very real state of ARH’s care wards. Last week, the challenges prompted a group of doctors to publicly decry the situation, noting that patient beds are sometimes placed in shower areas.
The situation at ARH is extreme, but hardly unique, according to the data obtained by The Current. Two dozen other health care facilities across BC also had occupancy rates above 110%. That group included hospitals in Langley and Chilliwack.
Related
Need to Know
💔 Homicide investigators have named 24-year-old Taran Pandher as the victim killed in a Langley taxi shooting, with police calling it a gang-related incident linked to organized crime [Fraser Valley Today]
👨🏫 Alan Cameron continues teaching French and Russian at UFV after five decades on campus, having survived cancer twice and becoming the institution's most senior faculty member [Abbotsford News]
🦎 A Kelowna reptile breeder opposes a proposed provincial ban on exotic animals, claiming his gecko breeding operation helps preserve endangered species through genetic diversity programs [Fraser Valley Today]
🏠 Multiple vehicles and a residence were damaged by gunfire on Terminal Court in west Abbotsford while occupants slept safely inside, marking the third shooting incident in the city within a week [Hope Standard]
🌿 Volunteers can join efforts to remove invasive plant species from Fishtrap Creek Park during a morning cleanup event organized by the Fraser Valley Conservancy [Abbotsford News]
🧹 A Mission peer support organization partners with unhoused residents for regular environmental cleanups while working to reduce community stigma through shared civic engagement [Mission City Record]
🚚 A suspect known to authorities was arrested after Chilliwack officers recovered a stolen pickup truck near the coliseum, leading to charges for property possession and compliance violations [Chilliwack Progress]
🧁 Volunteers will distribute thousands of complimentary cupcakes across ten Chilliwack locations during the community's annual celebration aimed at spreading joy throughout the city [Chilliwack Progress]
⚽ Three artificial turf soccer fields have opened at Smith Athletic Park in Langley, representing the initial phase of a multi-million dollar sports complex designed to reduce youth program waitlists [Langley Advance Times]
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The Agenda
Mobile mammography vehicle. 📸 BC Cancer
Mobile mammograms coming to Hope and Agassiz
Women, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse people living in Hope and Agassiz and neighbouring remote areas will soon have access to mammograms in their communities. Starting in late September, BC Cancer will provide mobile mammography services to residents of Hope and Agassiz.
The BC Cancer mobile mammography unit is scheduled to visit Hope from Sept. 26- Oct. 2 and will be located at the Hope & District Recreation Centre at 1005 6th Avenue. The vehicle will visit Agassiz from Oct. 2- Oct. 4 at Shoppers Drug Mart, located at 7130 Pioneer Ave. Those eligible for free screenings can book an appointment by calling 1-800-663-9203.
Other scheduled visits include an upcoming visit on Oct 6 - 7, 2025 to the Seabird Island Band, at the Seabird Island Health Centre located at 2895 Chowat Road, Agassiz. Leq'á:mel First Nation will also receive a visit on Oct. 9 at Leq'amel Health and Wellness Centre at 42981 Leq'a:mel Way.
The mobile mammography vehicles are equipped with screening equipment and include a dressing area and examination room. All of the mammography vehicles are equipped with wheelchair lifts.
According to BC Cancer, “The mobile mammography service performs about 10% of the total number of screening mammograms in BC and visits more than 170 rural communities, including more than 40 First Nations communities annually.”
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🗓 Things to do
Trivia Night at Sidekick Brewing: Sidekick Brewing hosts free trivia every Monday from 7:00-8:30 PM at 45330 Vedder Mountain Road in Chilliwack, with prizes including beer, gift cards, and drinks for the most creative team names.
Free Lawn Bowling: HIM partners with Chilliwack Lawn Bowling Club for free coaching sessions tomorrow from 6:00-7:30 PM at 9350 Edwards St, with coffee and snacks available in the club's social space afterward.
Whisky & Chocolate Pairing Event: A luxury tasting experience takes place Wednesday from 6-8 PM at 125-1828 McCallum Road in Abbotsford, featuring single malt Scotch whiskies from four distilleries paired with artisanal chocolates for $25 plus GST.
Have an event to tell us about? Fill out this form to have it highlighted here.
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