A breast cancer survivor and University Medical Center patient slammed a sledgehammer into a wall on the first floor of the University hospital's West Complex March 3, marking the groundbreaking for the new 7,500 square foot Breast Care Center.
"It was really more of a wall-breaking," said Linda Rose, administrative director of the breast program at the University hospital. "One of our breast cancer survivors took a pink sledgehammer wrapped in a bow to the wall."
Construction for the $1.5 million project began Feb. 1 and University officials expect it to be operational by July. The center will be located in the vacancy that the Occupational Health Services division left when it moved to a different space in the hospital, Rose said.
The center was proposed and accepted by the hospital administration three years ago to make breast cancer treatment more convenient for the patients, she added.
The breast program is comprised of various health care professionals, including a team of physicians, radiologists, breast cancer surgeons, oncologists, radiation oncologists, plastic surgeons, psycho-social support staff and genetics counselors, according to Rose.
"This team has been meeting on a regular basis for some time now and one of the things they talked about frequently is that it's just not a smooth flow for the patient going through the process of breast cancer treatment," she said.
Services currently are scattered around various locations -- breast imaging is in the primary care center basement, some of the surgeons are on the fourth floor of the West Complex and some physicians have offices in the Private Clinics, Rose said.
"The Breast Care Center is a wonderful way of bringing all the services together," she said. "When a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer it can be a huge emotional blow, and we feel that locating all of the clinicians and professionals in one area is going to make a huge difference."
The consolidation of breast care services into a single center will also be more convenient for health care professionals administering treatment to patients, said David Brenin, chief of breast surgery services.
"Modern breast care hinges on multidisciplinary care," Brenin said. "Having breast imaging staff and breast surgeons in the same space really facilitates interaction between physicians and should result in better outcomes and more rapid treatment."
The benefits for patients seem to be the most important reason for creating the center.
"It is also much more convenient for patients," Brenin added.
In addition to the construction of the center, the breast program also is expanding its services, Rose said.
Among the new features of the breast program are the installation of digital mammography at the Medical Center's north ridge branch and a mobile mammography program. The latter feature includes a van loaded with imaging equipment that can travel around the community, especially into areas that don't have mammography facilities, according to Rose.
"We want to make breast care comfortable and inviting to women," she said. "The program is really expanding."
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