Mammography is the most effective tool used to screen for breast cancer, and the nation’s largest privately operated department store has been providing free screenings for women since 2013, as a commitment to women’s health.

The BelkGives on the Go Mobile Mammography Center travels to Belk stores throughout the country to offer free screenings for women, and the 39-foot- long, state-of-the-art screening center on wheels will be in Vicksburg at the local Belk from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 24.

Vicksburg Belk store manager Troy Carty said this is the second year the Go Mobile Mammography Center has stopped in Vicksburg.

“Last year Vicksburg hosted one of the best events in the state for Belk,” Carty said, due in part to being the first store to have all of its pre-booking appointments scheduled.

“We had a total of 40 appointments,” Belk associate Crystal Walker said, adding the event was so successful, some local women who wanted to participate had to schedule their appointments at Belk stores in Jackson.

Licensed, female mammography-certified technologists from Charlotte Radiology perform the screening exams, and a board-certified radiologist, specializes in breast imaging will interpret the mammogram. Confidential results will be sent to the patient and her primary care physician.

“The screenings are the exact same as women receive at a clinic,” Walker said.

Last year, of the women screened in Vicksburg, two were diagnosed with breast cancer, she said.

In addition to the free mammography screenings, Belk will also offer complimentary bra fittings.

“A fitting will only take about five minutes,” Walker said and includes three measurements to help determine a woman’s cup and band size.

Women do not have to participate in a mammography screening to receive a complimentary bra fitting.

Belk and intimate apparel company Wacoal co-sponsor the bra fittings, and both companies donate $2 each to the Susan G. Koman organization for every bra sold during the event, Carty said.

Refreshments will be served throughout the day and shoppers will have the opportunity to sign up for register-to-win items and complimentary cosmetic consults will be available.

Women are encouraged to book their appointments early.

“Appointment slots will fill up fast,” Walker said.

To schedule an appointment, call 855-655-2662 or 601-619-0122, ext. 210.

Women must be 40 years of age and older, have no breast concerns, have not had a mammogram in the last 12 months and have a primary care physician to participate in the free screenings.

Belk has 80 stores throughout Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia, and in its two years on the road, the mobile unit has performed more than 7,400 mammograms throughout the southeast that resulted in 30 cancer diagnoses.

For more information, visit belk.com/pink.