We are housed on the third floor of the new, state-of-the-art Outpatient Care Center, conveniently located near the intersection of Interstate 64 and Route 250 East. Our entire center is designed to make you feel as comfortable and relaxed as possible, with brightly colored walls, warm lighting, and comfortable furniture. Our waiting rooms are smaller, which allows you to have a more intimate and more private experience. We offer complimentary coffee or tea while you wait, as well as up-to-date breast health literature in our extensive lending library, guided finger meditations, and computer stations with Internet links to online resources on women’s health. Our mammography and dressing rooms are larger and more spacious, which can easily accommodate our special needs visitors. Throughout the center, you will find a variety of artwork, of almost every medium – all created by local artists!

Our Center has all of the state-of-the-art technologies that allow us to give you the best in breast health services. We have five mammogram machines and an ultrasound that is dedicated solely to breast health services; both mammogram and ultrasound equipment have digital and analog capabilities. All digital images are stored on an advanced computer system, PACS, which also allows us to email mammogram and ultrasound images to bring you results sooner. We also have the ability to do breast MRIs. If you require a biopsy, we have brand new stereotactic equipment for a quicker and more painless procedure.

To contact the Breast Health Center, please call the Women’s Health Center at 434-244-4480.

Breast Health Liaison:

Our Breast Health Liaison, Mary Beth Revak, acts as a navigator through the diagnostic phase of breast disease. Mary Beth is a full-time, oncology-certified nurse with special training in women’s health. Through the Center, she offers a free breast cancer risk assessment, using the Gail Model from the National Cancer Institute, as well as free breast self-exam instruction clinics throughout the community, in area high schools, and to nursing students. If you require a diagnostic screening or biopsy procedure, Mary Beth will personally walk you through the experience: helping you make the necessary appointments, calling your referring physician, answering any questions you may have concerning breast health or test results, checking up with you after you’ve left the Center, and anything else she can do to make your experience easier.

Every woman must play an active role in ensuring her health with exercise, good nutrition, and regular check-ups by a physician. In combination with your physician’s expertise, knowledge of your own body can provide important information if and when physical changes occur. By performing routine self-breast exams, you will be better equipped to notice any changes in your breast health. That’s why we offer free self-breast examination clinics and free breast cancer screenings throughout the year.

We recommend that you know your personal risk for breast cancer. If you have a family history of breast cancer or a personal history of breast health disease, you may be at a higher risk for breast cancer. With early detection, over 90% of breast cancer diagnoses are treatable and curable. If you are at a higher risk for breast cancer, speak with your physician – he may recommend that you start regular mammogram screenings earlier or more frequently. If you are interested in receiving a free breast cancer risk assessment, call the Breast Health Center to set up an appointment with our Breast Health Liaison, Mary Beth Revak.

At the Breast Health Center, we have an extensive lending library, which provides a wide variety of up-to-date information on women’s health issues. We have created and tailored this collection of literature to meet the specific and individualized needs of our patients in our community who are facing any number of breast diseases.

The American Cancer Society recommends that women begin monthly self-breast exams (SBE) at the age of 20. To learn more about how to perform an SBE, you can ask your physician, attend one of our free SBE clinics, or visit BreastCancer.org < http://www.breastcancer.org/dia_detec_exam_idx.html>.

In addition to your monthly SBE, you should have clinical breast examinations (CBE) by your physician. In accordance with the ACS guidelines, we recommend that women in their 20s and 30s have a CBE every three years, as part of your regular health exam. After the age of 40, women should have a CBE every year.

It is critical that all women both perform self-breast exams and receive clinical breast exams. With routine SBE, you will become aware of how your breasts normally feel and be able to report any changes to your physician. Similarly, a physician has the necessary medical training to recognize any breast irregularities in a CBE that you could have missed.

Mammograms:

The American Cancer Society recommends that all women age 40 and older have yearly mammograms. If you have a family history of breast cancer or a personal history of breast disease, your doctor may recommend starting mammogram screening earlier, having mammograms more frequently, or having additional tests (such as a breast ultrasound or MRI). Mammograms must be done in conjunction with your physician’s clinical breast exam, so your physician must refer you to the Breast Health Center. We require physician referrals, because some cancers cannot be detected through mammography, and can only be found through a clinical breast exam. Complete breast health care must include self-breast exams, clinical breast exams, and mammograms.

We are in full accordance with the strict guidelines as set forth by the American College of Radiology, and all of our mammography technologists are certified by the American Registry of Radiation Technologists. Always keeping your safety in mind, our mammogram machines use the lowest doses of radiation possible, while still providing excellent mammography imaging. We have all female technicians, who are specially trained in mammography and are able to answer any questions you may have. Your mammogram x-rays will be interpreted by a board-certified radiologist, then within a week, the results are sent back to your doctor and to you. Because the Breast Health Center is located within the Women’s Health Center, you may also choose to get tested for osteoporosis and blood glucose levels during the same visit. Also for your convenience, we now offer Saturday screenings! Remember to call at least a month in advance of when you wish to have your next mammogram – and we’ll call you the day before to remind you.

Diagnostic Screening:

On average, 10% of women who receive mammograms will require additional testing; however don’t be alarmed if this happens to you. Only .1-.2% of all mammograms will eventually be diagnosed as breast cancer; and when detected early, some impressive statistic about survival rates for breast cancer. During this diagnostic phase of testing, you will probably meet with our Breast Health Liaison, Mary Beth Revak, who will guide you through breast health screening process, providing information and support as needed. To learn more about the Breast Health Liaison, please click here <link to BHL>. If you do require additional testing, diagnostic screenings and breast MRIs can be performed in the Breast Health Center; appointments are generally made within 48 hours. Martha Jefferson’s board-certified pathologists interpret all pathology results, so we can have your test results and diagnosis back to you before you even leave our Center.

Biopsy:

If our pathologists determine that you do need a biopsy, we know this can be a stressful experience, so we want to do everything in our power to make it as easy as possible for you. Our Breast Health Liaison, Mary Beth Revak, will walk you through all steps of this procedure: she will make the necessary appointments as soon as possible, address any concerns you may have, and stay with you during the actual procedure. When you come to the Breast Health Center for a biopsy, you will be escorted to your own private waiting room; your family is welcome to wait with you and/or accompany you during the biopsy. Mary Beth will provide you with a soft robe, just like you would wear during a day at the spa, and make sure the table for the procedure is draped in warmed linens. The actual biopsy is done using state-of-the-art digital machinery, so the entire procedure is as painless as possible and over within minutes. Within just two or three days, we will notify you with the results of your test, and Mary Beth will discuss with you about what needs to happen next.

If It’s Cancer:

If your biopsy confirms breast cancer, you will be referred to our Cancer Care Center, but Mary Beth will continue to help guide you during this difficult time. If you wish, we support your right as a patient to a second (or third) opinion of this diagnosis and would be happy to help you find another physician to review your test results.

To contact the Breast Health Center, please call the Women’s Health Center at 434-244-4480.