NORTHSIDE-ATLANTA AUXILIARY SUPPORTS
BREAST CANCER DETECTION ACROSS N. ATLANTA
Through a generous donation from the Northside Hospital-Atlanta Auxiliary, Northside Hospital has purchased a brand new ScreenAtlanta mobile mammography van with digital mammography technology. The new van allows Northside to continue to provide convenient mammogram screenings
to women in the North Atlanta community.
One in eight women will get breast cancer sometime during her lifetime. Early detection is the best protection. Beginning at age 40, women should schedule annual mammograms.
Northside Hospital is the leader in the fight against breast cancer, diagnosing and treating more cases of the disease than any other community hospital in Georgia. Every year, Northside performs nearly 80,000 mammograms through outpatient screenings, diagnostic exams and ScreenAtlanta. Northside Hospital is highly respected in the community for its state-of-the-art imaging services and has ranked number one for the past five years by metro Atlanta consumers in the National Research Corporation’s annual Healthcare Market Guide study.
“We are so grateful to the Auxiliary for their continuous support of the Breast Care Program at Northside Hospital,” said Patti Owen, director of oncology services at Northside. “This new van will enable Northside to provide easier access to state-of-the-art breast imaging services to women in our community.”
Throughout the year, ScreenAtlanta offers convenient mammogram screenings and breast health education at Kroger stores and other corporate and community locations across North Atlanta. Appointments are required and participants must meet American Cancer Society and Northside Hospital screening guidelines to qualify. Appointments typically last 15 to 20 minutes and insurance can be filed.
The new ScreenAtlanta van is equipped with the latest diagnostic technology available – digital mammography, which still uses compression and x-rays to obtain images, just as film-screen mammography does, but patients often notice shorter exam times. Additionally, radiologists can magnify images on a computer screen and adjust brightness and contrast, making it easier, in some cases, to tell normal tissue from abnormal tissue. Recent studies have shown a slight benefit in using digital mammography for women with dense breasts or women under the age of 50.
Digital mammography also can be combined with other technologies such as Computer-Aided Detection (CAD), which provides a “second set of eyes” to radiologists by flagging areas of potential concern on the mammogram to make sure that the radiologists see them. Some recent studies have shown CAD to improve the detection of breast cancer. Northside offers CAD technology at each of its imaging centers as well as on the ScreenAtlanta van.
The Northside Hospital-Atlanta Auxiliary provides compassionate support and quality service to patients, families and visitors, as well as funding for special projects that benefit the hospital. Currently, more than 300 active volunteers, ranging in age of 14 to 101, give of their time to Northside. In 2008, the Auxiliary raised more than $550,000 through gift shop sales, baby pictures and other fundraisers for the hospital and community projects, including the ScreenAtlanta van.
“The Auxiliary’s gift to the hospital is very impressive and represents the dedication and hard work of our many volunteers as well as the staff who support the Auxiliary’s fundraising activities,” said Marianne Askew, director of volunteer services, Northside Hospital.
“Nearly everyone knows someone who has been touched by breast cancer and this is our way of showing our support for the fight against that disease,” said Carol Kratochvill, immediate past president, Northside Hospital-Auxiliary. “One of the missions of the Auxiliary is to provide funding for worthy projects for the hospital and community. This is a great example of a truly worthy project.”
To schedule an appointment, call 770-667-4400.
For more information about the Northside Hospital-Atlanta Auxiliary, call 404-851-8707 or click here.
For more information on our Breast Care Program please click here.
