SIDNEY — With Wilson Health Foundation members and employees donned in pink shirts, “The Future is Clear” campaign kicked off during a VIPink breakfast at Shelby Oaks Thursday morning.
The campaign, said John Deeds, Wilson Health Foundation board chair, will be for the purchase of women’s breast imaging 3D mammography units and breast biopsy system. The goal of the campaign is to raise $1.1 million.
Brian Scheid, director of imaging and cardiovascular services, told those in attendance that “without a doubt” when they left the breakfast they would know the importance of the purchase of the new mammography unit.
“These are the things you know without a doubt,” he said. “Is your job calling you to work?Is it a dream and you’re in your dream? This crew (Wilson Health’s Francis Women’s Center imaging team) does work toward their dream every day.”
Without a doubt, said Scheid, the one more thing the hospital needs is a 3D mammography unit.
“One in eight women develop breast cancer,” he said. “That is overwhelming. One woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes.
“One woman dies every 13 minutes from breast cancer,” he said. “We know it’s a problem and we know it’s real.”
The breast cancer mortality rate in Shelby County is 27 percent higher than the national rate.
Scheid said ways to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer is to eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly and perform monthly self breast exams.
If breast cancer is discovered in stage 0 or 1, there is a 98 to 100 percent survival rate. If the diagnosis is made when the cancer is in stage 4, the survival rate is 28 percent, he said.
“Early screening is the key,” said Scheid. “But women don’t get mammograms. Fifty-eight percent of women in Shelby County have gotten mammograms. That’s below the national average of 74 percent.”
The American Cancer Society’s breast cancer screening guideline calls for a mammogram at age 4o if they chose to have one. At age 45, the woman should have a yearly mammogram. At age 55, they can transition to a mammogram every other year or continue with it yearly. Women older than 55, should have regular mammogram as long as they are in good health.
“Why aren’t more women getting mammograms?” he asked.
Time, health insurance and no family history are three of the reasons, he said.
“The No. 1 reason is the pain,” said Scheid. “It’s not a comfortable procedure. The No. 2 reason is the fear of the diagnosis.”
All insurance providers, he said, are required to pay for the screening for a mammogram. The mammogram takes 20 minutes to perform. Ohio is greater than 95 percent covered for 3D mammography.
Doctor’s orders are not required for screening mammography. A woman can call the hospital to set up an appointment.
Wilson Health, he added, has assistance programs for financial and transportation burdens.
“Eight of 10 breast lumps are no cancerous,” he said. “Eighty-five percent of new cancer diagnosis are women who have no family history of breast cancer.”
Wilson’s goals, he said, are to educate, work to prevent, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.
cancer.
And why does the hospital need a 3D mammography unit?
“It works the same as a traditional 2D unit,” said Scheid. “But instead of just a few images, the 3D unit creates 15 images in 3.7 seconds.”
The 3D mammogram is conducted in conjunction with the 2D exam. The x-ray scans the breast and creates a series of images for a complete picture of the breast. A computer produces a layered 3D image of the breast tissue.
“It’s like a book that you open up and you can look at all the pages (of the breast),” he said. “The breast tissue is not overlapping and not hiding things.
“The 3D unit improves detection by 65 percent. It reduces a callback by 40 percent,” he said. “Of the callbacks, one in 10 have something that needs to be biopsied.”
The 3D unit, he said, provides the greatest clarity on the details of the breast mammography imaging at the lowest dose of radiation and shortest compression time.
“The 3D mammogram is appropriate for women of all breast densities,” said Scheid. “Sometimes the tissue is tough to see things with a 2D image.”
The 3D mammogram, he said, can detect invasive cancers at its earliest stages, up to 15 months earlier than a traditional 2D mammography.
“Forty to 50 percent of women have dense breast tissue,” said Scheid.
The Hologic 3Dimensions Clarity HD System System, said Scheid, is FDA approved.
“We will be the first in our market and region to obtain this system,” he said. “Ninety-three percent of the woman who have had a 3D mammo0gram said it’s the most comfortable mammogram they have every had.”
Karla Young, executive director of Wilson Health Foundation, said the campaign is a personal one for her family. Her mother is a breast cancer survivor.
“The Future is Clear campaign is why we’re here today,” said Young. “We are asking you to continue your support for Wilson Health. We can save lives in Shelby County.”
“I hope you know, without a doubt, that Wilson Health needs the 3D mammogram,” said Scheid.
For more information about the campaign, contact Young, 937-498-5572, or Jenny Huelskamp, Foundational marketing liaison, 937-498-5540.
