WVU Cancer Institute receives $1.3 million to replace original Bonnie’s Bus

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The WVU Cancer Institute has been awarded more than $1.3 million through Governor Patrick Morrisey’s West Virginia Rural Health Transformation Program to replace the original Bonnie’s Bus Mobile Mammography Unit and expand access to specialized breast cancer screening, detection, and education in rural communities.

The $1,339,077 award, provided through the program’s Connected Care Grid initiative, will fund the replacement of the aging Bonnie’s Bus, thereby expanding the availability of screening mammography where it is limited or unavailable. It will also support screening for areas that have a need but not enough patients historically to support a screening day. The funds will be used to reach more patients and build community relationships in new areas.  

“Our mobile mammography screening program has allowed us to reach more West Virginians and improve early detection,” Hannah Hazard-Jenkins, M.D., executive chair and director of the WVU Cancer Institute, said. “For over 17 years, Bonnie’s Bus has traveled our country roads to bring cancer care, prevention, and resources to our most rural communities. The new mammography unit will allow us to meet our patients where they are – where they live and work – reducing some of the barriers to cancer care. On behalf of the WVU Cancer Institute and the patients we serve, I want to thank Gov. Morrisey and other leaders for investing in the future of cancer care in the Mountain State.”  

Bonnie’s Bus, a service of WVU Medicine-WVU Hospitals and the WVU Cancer Institute, has provided more than 36,750 mammograms for women through the Mobile Screening Program and has led to the detection of more than 210 cases of breast cancer since 2009. Many of those screened are underinsured or uninsured and qualify for screening through the West Virginia Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program.  

The Bus works in collaboration with a statewide partnership of clinicians, public health professionals, women’s groups, and other community leaders working to help reduce the number of deaths from breast cancer in West Virginia.  

The original Bonnie’s Bus unit was established to honor Bonnie Wells Wilson, who succumbed to breast cancer in rural West Virginia because of limited access to screening mammography. Bonnie’s daughter and son-in-law, Jo and Ben Statler, established the Bus in with a generous donation to help prevent other families from losing a loved one to breast cancer. 

In April, WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals in Charleston launched a second Bonnie’s Bus in collaboration with the WVU Cancer Institute. The funding announced today will replace the original unit, putting two new state-of-the-art mobile screening units on the road for women across West Virginia. 

“As we recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month, this investment builds on that message by helping bring cancer screenings directly into communities, reducing barriers to care, and making it easier for West Virginians to access preventive services close to home,” Governor Morrisey said.  

The award is part of West Virginia’s broader Rural Health Transformation Program, which is investing in expanded healthcare access, preventive services, and workforce development to improve health outcomes and help more West Virginians remain healthy and active in the workforce. 

For more information on Bonnie’s Bus, visit WVUCancer.org/Bonnie.