AMC Hosts Digital Mammography Open House

Audrain Medical Center hosted an Open House on Thursday, March 3 from 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. to celebrate the opening of the new digital mammography suite. Over 150 members of the community toured the newly remodeled mammography area, met mammography staff, enjoyed refreshments, and educational materials.

A $1.2 million capital campaign was launched by the AMC Foundation in 2010 to raise money to offer our community advanced breast cancer diagnostics.

"We were able to reach our goal with very generous donations from community members and businesses in addition to two fundraising events, the AMC Foundation Golf Classic and Give Cancer the Boot Celebration. We are extremely grateful to the community for their support in bringing enhanced breast care services to our community," stated Barb Wilson, campaign chairperson.

The money was needed to upgrade both digital mammography units. One unit is located in the Radiology Department and the other at the J.B. & Greeta B. Arthur Cancer Center which is utilized by Cancer Screening participants. In addition, the Radiology Department was renovated to house the stereotactic breast biopsy equipment and the other digital mammography unit all in the same suite.The J.B. Arthur Foundation gave a gift in the amount of $150,000 to name the area in memory of Dr. Harold Lankford.

Digital mammography is one of the most advanced diagnostic tools in the fight against breast cancer. It still uses compression to create images, but the digital technology offers important advantages over traditional film mammography.With no film to develop a digital mammogram instantly produces an image which can be magnified, or adjusted for darkness, brightness and contrast. Studies show digital mammograms are better at screening women under 50 or with dense breast tissue.The unit's Computer-Aided Detection (CAD) function highlights suspicious areas, helping radiologists to detect subtle abnormalities and pinpoint cancer earlier, so treatment can begin sooner.

To schedule a digital mammogram or for more information, please call 573-582-8700.

Posted: 2011-03-07