September 28, 2007
Experts in Breast Health
Center for Breast Health celebrates the arrival of digital mammography, breast health events
DAVENPORT, IOWA - When Marilyn Willits learned she had breast cancer several years ago, she immediately found a network of support and expertise at the Genesis Center for Breast Health.
As a nurse of 42 years, she had helped many breast cancer patients along the treatment journey. In addition, her own grandmothers had coped with breast cancer; her sister-inlaw had died of the disease; and her young husband had died from the effects of chemotherapy while battling malignant melanoma.
Needless to say, breast cancer and chemotherapy struck a unique fear. She found comfort at the Genesis Center for Breast Health, where she received the attention of a multidisciplinary team of surgeons, radiologists and mammography technologists who specialize in breast health. With their support and her faith in God, she began her treatment and is cancer-free today.
“Every physician I had, every treatment I had at Genesis, was just as good or better than I could have received at University Hospitals in Iowa City or Mayo Clinic,” says Willits, R.N., a standards nurse specialist at Genesis. “I will always defend that you can’t go anywhere to get better treatment than Genesis.”
Since 1994, the Genesis Center for Breast Health has been a cutting-edge force for breast wellness on the East Rusholme Street campus in Davenport.
That expertise benefits the entire Genesis system of care, with Center for Breast Health locations at the Genesis Imaging Center in Bettendorf and the DeWitt and Illini hospital campuses as well. Women receive state-of-the-art screening mammography and the expertise of health care professionals who work as a team.
Arrival of digital mammography
Now during October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Genesis Center for Breast Health will bring another “first” to the Quad Cities – digital mammography.
Genesis and Radiology Group Imaging Center, LLC, will introduce digital mammography, the latest screening tool for the early detection of breast cancer. The technology expansion will bring better mammography to younger women and women whose traditional mammograms have been difficult to interpret. It also will bring better technology to women of all breast types.
By the end of the month, the Genesis Center for Breast Health will have five machines – two at the Genesis East Rusholme Street campus in Davenport and one each at the Genesis Imaging Center in Bettendorf and Genesis Medical Center campuses in DeWitt and the Illini Campus.
Radiology Group will install two machines at its imaging center in Davenport.
Leading up to the excitement, a visit from Olympic gold medal ice skater and breast cancer survivor Peggy Fleming, a Genesis webcast on sentinel lymph node mapping, and a seminar from lactation experts on the health benefits of breastfeeding also will highlight the month’s activities.
A collaborative approach
The focus on breast health will celebrate an institution in the Quad Cities that has helped many women like Marilyn Willits deal with their disease.
From screenings to consultations to diagnosis, planning, treatment and support, the Center for Breast Health uses a collaborative approach to deliver care. This unique multidisciplinary approach, the only one of its kind in the Quad Cities, brings together surgeons, radiologists and mammography technologists to provide a continuum of care for patients’ breast wellness.
“With a team of breast health experts working together – including surgeons from Davenport Surgical Group and radiologists from Radiology Group – our patients can benefit from a more accurate diagnosis and a faster pre-treatment process,” says Rob Nelson, M.D., vice president of clinical services for Genesis Medical Center, Davenport. “This expertise is available to patients at our other Center for Breast Health locations, as well.”
Physician teams review individual cases to ensure that patients have the best treatment options. Surgeons see patients at the center for breast conditions. Radiologists, who have extensive training and experience in mammography, work on site with center staff.
“Consultations between physicians can be done immediately, improving the continuity of care the Center for Breast Health provides,” says Sally Werner, BSN, MSHA, the new director of the Genesis Cancer Center. “Every Center for Breast Health patient is given an individualized treatment plan and the education and emotional support she needs to battle her disease.”
Werner came to Genesis a month ago from Philadelphia, Pa., where she had extensive clinical experience with cancer patients as a staff nurse, manager and executive leader. She is impressed by the Center for Breast Health.
“This collaborative approach is ideal for women needing breast health services,” Werner says. “The technologists are topnotch. They’ve had a lot of tenure not only at Genesis, but also a lot of experience in mammography. The same technologist is with the patient to offer support from the time she is interviewed to when she receives testing and is ready to leave.
“The Center for Breast Health staff and decor are very sensitive to a woman’s need for privacy. Our physicians also are wonderful. If we have someone who comes back and needs a biopsy, we’re doing it the same day – not scheduling her to come back in a week or two.”
On-site Gilda’s Club support
Now, breast cancer patients also have the on-site support services of Gilda’s Club Quad Cities. Last May, Gilda’s Club opened an office at the Genesis Cancer Center to provide social, emotional and educational support to those diagnosed with cancer and their families. The free services are available at the cancer center, located in Genesis Medical Center’s West Central Park Pavilion in Davenport.
“We are excited about this partnership,” says Claudia Robinson, executive director, Gilda’s Club Quad Cities. “Studies have indicated that patients and their families who receive the appropriate emotional support when living with cancer have a higher tolerance for treatment and recover more quickly.’’
Several years later, Marilyn Willits still appreciates the individualized care and compassion she received at the Center for Breast Health and the Cancer Center at Genesis.
“If you’re diagnosed with breast cancer, listen to the recommendations, ask a lot of questions, and give yourself time to reflect on the answers,” Willits says. “Whatever decision you make, the nurses and physicians at Genesis will support you.”
Genesis to webcast sentinel lymph node biopsy
A surgical procedure that plays an important role in breast cancer treatment will be shown during a webcast from Genesis Medical Center, Davenport, at 7 p.m. Oct. 10.
Called a sentinel lymph node biopsy, the procedure helps the doctor determine the extent to which breast cancer is spreading beyond the breast and develop an appropriate treatment plan. It also has fewer patient side effects than a standard, more invasive lymph node removal.
Genesis, through its Center for Breast Health, was one of the first hospitals in the country to participate in a study of the effectiveness of the procedure, which now is an accepted standard of care for women diagnosed with breast cancer.
David Aanestad, M.D., Davenport Surgical Group, and clinical medical director of the Genesis Center for Breast Health, will perform the sentinel lymph node biopsy. Joseph Lohmuller, M.D, Davenport Surgical Group, will moderate the webcast. It will be the medical center’s fourth webcast.
During and after the Oct. 10 webcast, the surgery can be viewed from the home page of the award-winning Genesis Health Website, www.genesishealth.com, by clicking on “Watch a Surgery,” in the rotating ad box. Learn more about the procedure in next week’s Genesis Today.
Genesis hosts Olympic skater, breast cancer survivor Peggy Fleming
Peggy Fleming skated her way to five U.S. titles, three world titles and a gold medal in the 1968 Olympics.
On the 30th anniversary of winning her gold medal in Grenoble, France, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After the shock of her January 1998 diagnosis, however, she gathered her inner resources and faced breast cancer with the same skills that have taken her to heights of athletic excellence.
As part of Genesis’ celebration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Fleming will share her nine-year journey as a breast cancer survivor with Quad Citians. The public is invited to her free presentation from 7-8 p.m. Oct. 23 at the iwireless Center, Moline. After her presentation, she will skate with fellow breast cancer survivors and members of their support network from 8:15-8:45 p.m.
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