Breast cancer awareness
October is known nationally as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Overall rates of breast cancer occurrences in the United States are decreasing, but it is still the second leading cancer cause of death among women, according to the American Cancer Society. One in every eight women has the chance of developing breast cancer sometime in her life. Over three-fourths of the breast cancers diagnosed each year occur in women who are age 50 or older; making it important to get a mammogram every year after the age of 40.
Pocahontas Memorial Hospital provides mammography care right here at home, eliminating the need to travel and with easy follow-up mammograms available, if needed. PMH’s mammography program has been in place since March 2024, accredited through the American College of Radiology (ACR).**
Lisa Hill, Registered Mammographer, Rt(R)(M), has more than 20 years of experience and encourages all women over the age of 40 to schedule their annual mammogram today. Men can develop breast cancer as well and are also welcome to schedule a mammogram.
Appointments are easy to make and for a mammogram screening, self-referrals are accepted. If a follow-up diagnostic mammogram or ultrasound is needed, a pro- vider referral is required but these can be scheduled at PMH as well.
Mammograms are performed in a new, private suite of rooms in the newly expanded and renovated Radiology Department. PMH has a state of the art Hologic Selenia Dimensions machine, providing 3-D mammography with a fast 3.7 second scan time. This fast scan time lends to a higher level of comfort for patients. This system is proven to detect 20-65% more invasive breast cancers than regular 2D and is proven to reduce callbacks, according to data from Hologic.
Throughout October, PMH is recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month with coffee and treats, as well as gift bags for every mammogram patient. Call Lisa today at 304-799-1060 to schedule your mammogram.
PMH also invites the community to join them and Pocahontas County Parks and Rec for the fifth annual Breast Cancer Awareness Walk Monday, October 21, on the Greenbrier River Trail beside the Community Wellness Center in Marlinton. The walk will take place between 4 and 6 p.m. The self-paced walk will feature educational signs over a one mile stretch with facts and prevention tips about breast cancer. The first 40 walkers to participate will receive a free Breast Cancer Awareness T-shirt. No fee or pre-registration is required.
The walk is possible through a donation from the Spring 2024 Lady Warriors “Pink Out” game. The late Coach Mike Kane first began coordinating this donation to PMH’s breast cancer awareness fund in 2016. We are so grateful to Coach Kane and the Lady Warriors who have contributed to our educational efforts and breast cancer patient support projects over the years.
** The ACR gold seal of accreditation represents the highest level of image quality and patient safety. It is awarded only to facilities meeting specific requirements based on ACR Practice Parameters and Technical Standards after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field. Image quality, personnel qualifications, adequacy of facility equipment, quality control procedures and quality assurance programs are assessed. The findings are reported back to the facility and provide the practice with a comprehensive report that can be used for continuous practice improvement.