New Diagnostic Imaging Center Opens in Newark Ahead of Lets Talk Women’s Health & Wellness Symposium
This story originally ran on New Jersey Family on March 13 2026. Click here for the original article
A new diagnostic imaging center opened Friday in downtown Newark, expanding access to breast cancer detection and other advanced imaging services. Sheryl Swoopes, three time WNBA champion, Olympic gold medalist and longtime advocate for breast cancer screenings, joined Newark mayor Ras J. Baraka,First Lady Linda Baraka and the New Jersey Imaging Network (NJIN) team to celebrate the center’s grand opening.
New Jersey Imaging Network (NJIN) Manager Diane Vitorino, Brett Ferdinand, MD, Ross Mondschine, MD, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka, WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes, and RadNet VP of Customer Relations & Training and Development Cliffondra Brown cut the ribbon at the new center.
The center’s debut comes on the eve of the Let’s Talk Women’s Health & Wellness Symposium, taking place Saturday, March 14, at NJPAC in Newark. Now in its fourth year, the symposium has grown into New Jersey’s largest women’s health event, bringing together experts, advocates and community members for a day focused on prevention and wellness, where NJIN is a major sponsor of the event.
An MRI machine at the new New Jersey Imaging Network Center in Newark
Located at 609 Broad Street inside the historic Hahne’s Building, the New Jersey Imaging Network Center brings advanced imaging care to downtown Newark, offering high level diagnostic services including 3D mammography, ultrasound, DEXA scans and a 3T wide bore MRI..
The new facility also addresses longstanding healthcare access challenges in the city. Newark’s poverty rate stands at 27%, nearly three times the national average, and cancer ranks among the top three health concerns cited by Essex County residents.
Sheryl Swoopes speaks at the ribbon cutting
Swoopes’ breast cancer screening advocacy, and her partnership with RadNet, the parent company of New Jersey Imaging Network, is deeply personal. After losing family members and friends to cancer, she says she wants to use her platform to encourage women to prioritize getting screened. “I’ve seen it affect my family directly. And in the black community, we just don’t have those conversations about health issues that we’re going through, regardless of what it is.”
Swoopes also emphasized the importance of bringing screening and education directly into underserved communities like Newark. The center’s opening comes at a pivotal moment for women’s health in New Jersey, as state legislators advance breast cancer screening legislation that would eliminate cost sharing for diagnostic and supplemental breast imaging and expand ultrasound coverage statewide. NJIN, RadNet and Swoopes are all very strong supporters of the effort.
The New Jersey Imaging Network Center in Newark
“I just don’t think we, as women, talk enough about things we’re going through from a health standpoint,” Swoopes said. “I want to use my voice and let women know that none of us are in this alone.”
Mammography imaging at the new NJIN center
Swoopes says the resilience she built through her trailblazing career in the WNBA, she was the first player signed to the league continues to guide her work today. “The journey hasn’t been easy,” she said. “It’s taught me resilience, perseverance and how to believe in myself and keep going when things aren’t going the way you want them to.”
Swoopes is also a very strong supporter of Let’s Talk Women’s Health & Wellness, which she says reflects the power of women supporting one another. “I love any event that’s about women,” she said. “It’s about lifting each other up, whether that’s through health, wellness, financial literacy or confidence.”
Let’s Talk Women’s Health & Wellness takes place March 14 at NJPAC in Newark. For more information or tickets, visit the Let’s Talk website.
