Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Women’s Imaging Center opens in Caln
Brandywine Hospital last week opened its new Women’s Imaging Center for residents in western Chesco.
CALN >> Brandywine Hospital last week opened its new Women’s Imaging Center, marking national Breast Cancer Awareness Month with the new service.
Located inside the Outpatient Services entrance of the hospital, the renovation and new equipment represent a $1 million investment by the hospital, said Brandywine CFO Robert Ehinger.
Dr. Timothy Fox, boardcertified general surgeon and medical director of the imaging center, has practiced in Chester County for 30 years, most recently at Paoli Hospital before joining Brandywine about a year ago.
“We felt there were a lot of women out there not getting care,” Fox said at Thursday’s open house. “This is a measure of the commitment of Brandywine Hospital to reach out to the community they serve.”
The opening comes just weeks after it was reported that Brandywine’s parent company, Franklin, Tennessee-based Community Health Systems, is looking at “alternatives,” which could include putting itself up for sale. In the area, Community Health Systems owns Brandywine, Jennersville Regional, Phoenixville and Pottstown hospitals.
Jeff Hunt, chief executive officer at Brandywine, said the parent company’s financial study does not stop the hospital from pursuing its plans.
“I don’t think it affects it at all,” Hunt said at the opening. “We’re continuing to serve the community.”
According to the hospital,
“We felt there were a lot of women out there not getting care. This is a measure of the commitment of Brandywine Hospital to reach out to the community they serve.” – Dr. Timothy Fox, medical director of the Women’s Imaging Center at Brandywine Hospital
getting a mammogram is the most important thing a woman over 45 can do to allow for the early diagnosis – and thus successful treatment – of breast cancer.
The new Women’s Imaging Center offers same day 3D screening mammograms for patients for those who call by noon to set up an appointment.
According to the National Cancer Institute, one in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
“We are excited to offer patients access to advanced screening and diagnostic services in one convenient location,” Fox said in a statement. “The center features advanced technology such as 3D digital mammography (tomosynthesis), allowing physicians to detect the smallest of tumors sooner, at the earliest stages of breast cancer when they are most curable.”
Also available are breast ultrasound and minimally invasive breast biopsy procedures, as well as bone density screening.
The center was designed with larger, dedicated waiting areas and changing rooms, self-service beverage station and more, explained Lisa A. Kazanjian, Brandywine Hospital’s director of marketing and physician outreach, during a tour of the facility.
A multidisciplinary team specializing in the treatment of breast disease works together with the patient’s primary care doctor to manage the care of each patient, the hospital said.
Mammograms are conducted by specially trained technologists certified by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. A fellowship-trained, board-certified breast radiologist interprets the diagnostic studies and performs minimally invasive biopsy procedures in the center. If an abnormality is discovered on an imaging study, a member of our surgical team is available for consultation within 48 hours. A “nurse navigator”is also on hand to help guide patients diagnosed with breast abnormalities throughout her evaluation and treatment, Kazanjian added.
The center is open weekdays with extended hours and the second and fourth Saturdays each month.
“Patients no longer need to travel outside the local area for quality breast imaging and care,” Hunt said.
Community Health Systems is one of the largest publicly traded hospital companies in the U.S. The company owns, leases or operates 158 affiliated hospitals in 22 states with nearly 27,000 licensed beds.
For a list of breast cancer risk factors and American Cancer Society recommendations, visit www.Cancer.org.
On the web: BrandywineHospital.com.