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61 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, September 12, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 1, 2003 Workers are putting the finishing touches on the Breast Health Center at Providence Medford Medical Center, where women will be able to receive a number of health services. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Breast Health Center opens Monday By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune "More than mammograms" could be the marketing slogan for the new Breast Health Center that opens Monday at Providence Medford Medical Center. The breast center will concentrate a number of women’s health services in one location on the ground floor of Providence Plaza (adjacent to the hospital). In addition to mammograms, the center also will offer bone density tests, ultrasound, lymphedema therapy and counseling. Providence designed the breast center to take some of the stress out of mammography and other sensitive areas of women’s health, said Jolene Wallace, a social worker who will counsel women who are diagnosed with breast cancer. "I’ll be a personal navigator to help people get through the maze of health care when they have a need," Wallace said Thursday as workers hurried to put the finishing touches on exam rooms and office spaces. Advertisement Women who are diagnosed with breast cancer often face a dizzying array of choices at a time when clear thinking may be extremely difficult, she said. "We’ll try to be their port in the storm." Husbands often need help, too, she added. "Some of them are in a panic, wondering what they’re supposed to do." Along with expanded counseling services, the breast health center includes new equipment that should help reduce the long wait that Rogue Valley women have had to endure to schedule a mammogram. Providence installed a third mammography machine in the breast center to reduce the six-month scheduling delays that Rogue Valley women encountered earlier this year. The backlog developed after the Medford Medical Clinic eliminated mammography in January 2002, and none of the region’s other providers immediately picked up the slack. "Our goal is to keep the wait time within three weeks," said Mike Baker, Providence’s director of diagnostic imaging, although he acknowledged that it will take some months to reduce the backlog. Additional new equipment at Rogue Valley Medical Center should also help reduce the wait. RVMC has acquired a fourth mammography machine and is offering evening appointments to reduce the backlog. Women who live near Grants Pass can schedule mammograms at Three Rivers Community Hospital. Providence bought the region’s first digital mammography machine to make the exams more efficient. Digital images are no more detailed than traditional mammograms, but the digital image can be processed instantaneously. That means mammography technicians can quickly determine whether a woman might need to have a second picture made. "The processing time will change dramatically," said Dan Oldani, director of the Providence Cancer Center. Patients will be assigned to the digital machine on a "next-in-line" basis, Baker said. All the mammograms at the breast center will be processed through a computer-aided detection system that will identify suspicious areas for radiologists to examine in detail. "The CAD system is the radiologists’ second pair of eyes," Baker said. "That’s where they’re finding the cancer." He said CAD analysis will add about $15 to the cost of a mammogram, a procedure that health insurance companies typically pay for at a rate that ranges from $100 to $130. The extra cost, however, should be weighed against the CAD system’s ability to diagnose cancers early, which dramatically reduces treatment costs. The American Cancer Society estimates that treating early-stage breast cancer costs an average of $11,000 per patient, while late-stage treatments cost about $140,000. The project required a commitment of about $2.8 million, including a $1.3 million in-kind contribution from the hospital for existing equipment and about 3,000 square feet of previously built space. The Providence Community Health Foundation is raising $1.5 million to pay for the digital mammography equipment, furnishings, interior design and remodeling. Foundation director Susan Toner said there has been strong community support for the project, but declined to say how much money has been raised to date. "The (fund-raising) committee does not want to disturb the momentum (of the campaign)," she said. "To say we’re there would be premature," she added. Toner noted that proceeds from this year’s Festival of Trees also will be dedicated to the breast center. In recent years, the festival has raised about $300,000. Reach reporter Bill Kettlerat 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Open house set for Wednesday An open house at the new Providence Breast Health Center has been set for 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday. After a 4 p.m. blessing ceremony, there will be tours of the new diagnostic center and the lymphedema treatment area. Women also can sign up for mammogram appointments. There will also be hors d’oeuvres and drawings for prizes. To schedule a mammogram at the new breast center, call 732-6100. Mammograms are also available locally at Rogue Valley Medical Center Women’s Imaging (773-6251), Ashland Community Hospital (488-5377), and Three Rivers Community Hospital in Grants Pass (541-955-5446). Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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