The idea to offer a low-cost breast cancer screening program was generated in a "brainstorming" session of the Ambulatory Services Committee at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. This Committee is representative of various factions of the Ambulatory Center including both nursing and medicine. The committee members felt that in view of the recent American Cancer Society recommendations regarding the use of mammography for screening that it was important to offer this service to our employees. By developing an efficient low-cost service, we felt that we could attract a significant number of participants and begin an educational process concerning breast cancer and the value of early detection.