Wellmont making major strike against breast cancer with regionwide digital mammography
In a major investment for women’s health and in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Wellmont Foundation has committed $2 million to make digital mammography available to women throughout the region.
The investment will equip four Wellmont Health System hospitals over a wide geographical range with digital mammography imaging – Bristol Regional Medical Center and Holston Valley Medical Center in opposite ends of Sullivan County, Hawkins County Memorial Hospital in Hawkins County and Lonesome Pine Hospital in Wise County, Va.
The Wellmont Foundation’s initiative will also include the addition of MRI breast coil technology at Holston Valley and Bristol Regional, and it will update existing computer-assisted detection devices already in place at Wellmont. Digital mammography recently became operational at Bristol Surgery Center, one of the outpatient centers for Bristol Regional Medical Center, and equipment is on order and will be installed in the near future at Holston Valley, Hawkins County Memorial and Lonesome Pine Hospital.
The Wellmont Foundation is able to provide comprehensive, regionwide access to digital mammography thanks to the generosity of thousands of donors who have supported the foundation’s work.
“Every year, thousands of people give to Wellmont Foundation because they want to make a difference or say thank you for the care they received,” said Todd Norris, executive director of the Wellmont Foundation. “This initiative shows how all of us can work together to make new resources available.”
The new digital mammography equipment will help save the lives of mothers, sisters and daughters throughout Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Southeast Kentucky. The American Cancer Society estimates that 178,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be reported in the United States this year, and more than 40,000 women will die from the disease. Only lung cancer accounts for more cancer deaths in women.
A common denominator exists where breast cancer is concerned: There is no substitute for early detection. The American Cancer Society advises women 40 and older to have a yearly mammogram, and digital mammography – where the image of the breast is captured electronically and viewed on a computer screen, rather than being recorded on film like a traditional mammogram – has proven particularly effective in detecting breast cancer in some women.
“The most credible reports about the importance of digital mammography relate to younger women and denser breasts,” said Dr. William Johnstone, a board-certified radiologist at Bristol Regional. “The digital technique is able to sort through the background noise of dense tissue more easily than analog can.
“For some women, especially young women, digital mammography will be a life-saver.”
Dr. Johnstone is quick to point out that traditional methods of early detection – including regular mammography and manual self-examinations – carry importance that can’t be overstated.
“That is the whole issue – early detection,” Dr. Johnstone said.
Dr. John Siner, a board-certified radiologist at Holston Valley, said he considers the geographical scope of Wellmont’s commitment to digital mammography to be an important facet in its long-range impact.
“It’s an important demonstration of our commitment to women’s health to not only make digital mammography available, but also to make digital mammography available to all women served by Wellmont, all across the region,” Dr. Siner said.
John Williams, chairman of Wellmont Foundation’s board of governors, said the foundation’s regionwide effort to curb the effects of breast cancer is a testament to the community’s generosity.
“This initiative is a celebration of gifts of every size – from $1 to $10,000,” Williams said. “Our board wanted to do something with these funds that would ultimately impact everyone in the communities we serve and show the impact gifts to the foundation can make, regardless of their size.”
###