Cancer screening perks gaining traction at credit unions

Associated Credit Union marked Breast Cancer Awareness Month by bringing a mobile mammogram truck to its main office in Peachtree Corners, Ga.

The vehicle is run by Quantum Radiology, and employees and their families were able to set appointments in advance for a screening in the “mammogram mobile.” The credit union said 20 employees and relatives took part in the event on Monday, which was held at no cost to those who participated.

“We know it can be difficult to schedule the time to go to the doctor’s office and get a yearly mammogram,” Jill Johnson, a human resources representative at the $1.6 billion-asset institution, said in a press release. “We wanted a solution that would make it simple for employees and their families to make their health and wellness a priority.”

Associated’s move can be seen as part of a small trend emerging in the credit union industry as more institutions get proactive about cancer screenings. Town & Country Federal Credit Union in Maine has launched a cancer-screening program for employees. While originally only for colon cancer, Town & Country's program was recently expanded to include all forms of the disease. Moreover, the screenings are free of charge and employees don’t have to use their paid time off to get them done.

Those efforts and others recently helped land Town & Country on Credit Union Journal’s annual list of the Best Credit Unions to Work For.

The free screenings have proven “a strong tool to recruit and retain employees, which ultimately reduces human resources costs for our organization,” Town & Country CEO David Libby said earlier this year. “Our primary purpose for the benefit is to help our employees and encourage screenings to help prevent and detect cancer.”