Community Connection Newsletter

Summer, 2011

Staying Well:
Mammograms and Your Good Health

A mammogram is the best tool available for finding breast cancer early, but many women skip this important screening. Alta Bates Summit recommends that women have annual mammograms beginning at age 40 and also encourages younger at-risk women to talk to their doctors about the possible need for screening.

Creating a warm and nurturing environment for women to have their mammograms is one of the reasons Alta Bates Summit has become a center that women rave about. With four locations available for screening mammograms, it is now easier for patients to access the service. Alta Bates Summit also offers extended hours for screening mammography examinations.

Mammography saves lives, and Alta Bates Summit actively reaches out to women in the community to educate them about breast health. “For example, we have an informative and interactive booth at the annual Lafayette Art & Wine Festival,” says Linda Gordon, M.D., director of imaging at the hospital’s Carol Ann Read Breast Health Center. “We educate people about mammograms in a positive, nurturing way.” The hospital also helps educate the community at local health fairs, churches and senior housing facilities.

“Our outreach to uninsured and underinsured women plays an important part in their well-being because we inform them about the special programs available to cover the cost of screening and diagnostic breast health services,” says Leslie Paine, manager of the Markstein Cancer Education and Prevention Services at Alta Bates Summit. “Our relationships with community clinics that serve populations of Latina, Chinese, Korean, African-American and Native American women allow us to reach many in need. Our community education also contributes to young women’s understanding of the components of good breast health.”

Alta Bates Summit offers digital mammography, which minimizes radiation to a level that has not been shown to be harmful. “We have dedicated radiologists who specialize in the interpretation of breast imaging studies, including mammograms,” says R. James Brenner, M.D., J.D., F.A.C.R., F.C.L.M., an Alta Bates Summit radiologist. Studies have indicated that such dedicated readers have more accurate reading profiles. Detection of potential breast lesions is further enhanced by the use of computer-assisted detection (CAD) technology.

Screening results are available within 24 to 48 hours. Patients with suspicious findings are immediately scheduled with the Carol Ann Read Breast Health Center for a diagnostic mammogram—which focuses on the area of concern—and, if necessary, a biopsy. The Breast Health Center recently became accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, a designation that very few hospitals receive.

If a patient has a positive diagnosis, she can get state-of-the-art treatment at the center from a caring, multidisciplinary team of imaging specialists, medical and radiation oncologists, surgeons, pathologists and genetic counselors. A friendly patient navigator will guide her through the entire process, from diagnosis through recovery. “When you’re diagnosed with breast cancer, you have a lot of decisions to make,” says Dr. Gordon. “It’s important to have someone who can help you through the process.”

Breast cancer is treatable, and early diagnosis can greatly impact a patient’s chance of a full recovery. “A mammogram takes just a few minutes, and it has a profound possibility of improving a person’s life span,” says Dr. Brenner. “We want to reach as many women as we can because we know mammograms can save lives.”

Get Your Mammogram at Alta Bates Summit

Screening mammograms are offered at these convenient locations:

Carol Ann Read Breast Health Center
Providence Pavilion, Summit Campus
3100 Summit St., Oakland
(510) 869-8377

Imaging and Mammography Center
5730 Telegraph Ave., Oakland
(510) 204-1880

Women’s Health Center in Lafayette
3595 Mount Diablo Blvd., Suite 350, Lafayette
(925) 962-9129

Summit Health Center
Pacific Renaissance Plaza, Oakland
(510) 839-0298