The James P. Gordon Trust has awarded a grant of $9,748 to the Finger Lakes Health Foundation in support of the campaign to bring 3D mammography (Tomosynthesis) equipment to Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hospital.
Considered the ‘gold standard’ for screening and diagnostic breast imaging, 3D mammography will improve the early detection of breast cancer – and early detection saves lives. The technology will allow physicians to treat patients of all breast densities who are at risk for breast disease, while reducing procedure time, minimizing costs and improving patient comfort.
“We are truly grateful to the James P. Gordon Trust for their generosity and leadership in helping us bring this lifesaving technology to Soldiers & Sailors,” says Helen Kelley, Director of Development for the Finger Lakes Health Foundation.
Kelley adds, “One in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer and we estimate there are approximately 7000 people in Yates County who meet the criteria for breast cancer screening but are not currently getting mammograms. The overarching goal of the 3D mammography project is to capture those patients who have not been screened for breast cancer, by making people more aware of screening options and importance, and increasing patient access and convenience as well as to recapture patients who have had to travel distances for screening. This grant brings us closer to realizing that goal.”
For more information or to make a donation to the SSMH 3D Mammography campaign, contact Helen Kelley at 315-787-4074 or Helen.Kelley@flhealth.org. Gifts can also be made online at: https://www.flhealth.org/make-a-donation/.
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Breast cancer survivor and Finger Lakes Health patient, Lew Ann Giles of Dundee, is a spokeswoman for the fundraising campaign to bring 3D mammography to Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hospital. Lew Ann feels strongly that her community deserves local access to the standard of care for breast cancer screening and that, “The best protection is early detection.”