BMC Women's Imaging Center Receives 2010 Komen Grant
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Women's Imaging Center at Berkshire Medical Center has been selected, for the fifth straight year, as a recipient of funding from the Massachusetts Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world's largest breast cancer awareness organization. The center received $40,000 this year from the Massachusetts affiliate, and has previously received a total of $160,000 in its first four Komen grants from 2006 to 2009."Susan G. Komen for the Cure(r) has been instrumental in helping the Women's Imaging Center at BMC in its efforts to bring more awareness to our community about breast cancer," said Kathy Hart, RN, patient care coordinator for the Women's Imaging Center at BMC. "Through this continued grant funding, we can further enhance our efforts focusing on several initiatives that help to promote preventive screening and provide our breast cancer patients with the support they need."
"The Women's Imaging Center at Berkshire Medical Center is an exceptional organization that works hard to help local women through the treatment and recovery of breast cancer," said Jeanette Beltran, Director of Community Initiatives for the Massachusetts Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. "Thanks to our affiliate's annual fundraisers, we are able to provide grants, such as this one, to help fund local services and programs that address breast health needs throughout Massachusetts."
The Women's Imaging Center program educates the community about the benefits of early detection of breast cancer through a collaborative effort with various partners. By dispelling the myths about breast cancer, providing scientific facts, and encouraging women to know and understand their bodies, the Women's Imaging Center hopes to increase mammogram screening rates and thereby decrease the breast cancer mortality rate. The $40,000 grant will provide funding for promotional activities to encourage mammography screening, wellness programs, hats, wigs and mastectomy supplies that are not covered by a patient's insurance, an annual event held in Pittsfield in October to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month, collaboration with other local and regional organizations and other programs.
The Women's Imaging Center at BMC combines breast imaging and diagnostic services and Osteoporosis screenings under one roof. The center provides mammography, stereotactic biopsy, bone density testing and ultrasound in a warm and comfortable environment, and has been designated a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology's (ACR) Commission on Quality and Safety and Commission on Breast Imaging. The center also is the only provider in the region to offer breast MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), a state-of-the-art technology utilizing a special breast coil designed to aid in the diagnosis of breast cancer and will soon offer digital mammography screening. With this technology, BMC provides a level of diagnostic care for breast cancer patients on par with prestigious centers like Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
A unique component of the Women's Imaging Center at BMC is a comprehensive patient support program for women dealing with health issues. Led by Kathy Hart, RN, a breast cancer survivor, this program ensures that women know the options and services that are available and helps them to navigate what can be a confusing health system.
Medical leadership of the Women's Imaging Center at BMC is provided by Lisa Loring, M.D., the most experienced women's imaging specialist in the Berkshires, with a fellowship in breast imaging from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
