BCI Sunflower Clinics

Visit a BCI Sunflower Clinic for a FREE mammogram

It’s hard to believe that it has been two years since the launch of the first BCI Sunflower Clinic at Myer in Parramatta in January 2009. Since that time, another seven BCI Sunflower Clinics have been opened in western Sydney. These new state of the art digital clinics have proved both popular and successful. They include the Myer based clincs at Castle Hill, Penrith and Blacktown, as well as our hospital-based clinics at Auburn, Mt Druitt, Katoomba and Lithgow.

Staff and clients alike feel that the warm ambience created by the Myer based  Sunflower Clinics' location and design is a significant factor in their success. ‘Women respond to the modern feel of the clinics, they like the colours, the non-clinical look and the easier access to screening by having them located in the lingerie department of Myer stores. Our staff certainly enjoy the location in Myer as well!’ From the moment of arrival at a BCI Sunflower Clinic there is a convivial and friendly atmosphere, where customers and staff quickly build a rapport which helps each woman to feel at ease.

The after-hours program of the BCI Sunflower Clinics located in Myer stores has also proved to be very popular, as customers now have the time to fit a mammogram into a busy schedule. Professor John Boyages said ‘We’re in a “juggling” society—women have to juggle everything, and often they leave their own health as a last priority. The aim of the Clinics is to reverse this trend.’ Our customers have been taking advantage of the opportunity to pop in for a mammogram during late night shopping and on public holidays, and many of our Clinics have been booked out.

The most common feedback received, however, is in praise of the professional staff at each of our Sunflower Clinics. Positive stories have been flooding in from women who have visited, with many commenting on how the customer service officers and radiographers helped to dispel their fears and make them feel ‘at home’. There have even been tales of women coming back to the clinics after diagnosis in order to personally thank their radiographers. These exemplary standards of customer service have not gone unnoticed, with the Parramatta Sunflower Clinic staff being awarded the SWAHS Chief Executive Team First Award in December 2009.

The personal approach to customer care begins on arrival at the Clinic. The mammogram process is thoroughly explained to the customer. If they require more information after they are screened, they can ask the radiographer, or they have the option to speak to one of the BCI’s breast care nurses. The all-digital process ensures a short visit for our customers, and speedier processing times, meaning that images are available to be read by an expert radiologist quickly.

If a potential issue arises from the mammogram, women can be reassured that their association with the BCI does not have to end. The BCI Sunflower Clinics remain the only breast screening units in Australia to provide a vital link between screening and treatment. If a mammogram reveals that a woman has breast cancer, she is able to gain access to all of the BCI’s clinical services for treatment once her cancer is discovered and can then later return to the BCI Sunflower Clinics for follow-up screening once her treatment is finished.

Our next goals are to integrate more BCI support services into the clinics and create a greater awareness of BCI programs within the Sydney West community. The BCI have started this process by participating in community days at Holroyd, Mt Druitt and Parramatta. The next step is to engage local businesses to become involved in the health and well-being of their employees, by encouraging all of their eligible staff to have a mammogram at one of our Sunflower Clinics. Professor Boyages has also recently visited the Myer head office in Melbourne, with representatives from the Ray of Hope Committee, to discuss how we can allow greater access to Myer customers to our BCI Sunflower Clinics and maximise fundraising opportunities.

Help us continue the success of the sunflower clinics, if you are due for a mammogram please call 13 20 50 and make an appointment today!