Breast Health Services
Last Updated on Monday, 10 May 2010 11:19
If you are among the 210,000 American women who learn they have breast cancer this year, Lake Health offers help -- and hope. Lake Health designed its Breast Health Services program to educate patients, families and the community about breast health.
Lake Health offers a breast health coordinator, someone who helps patients understand the difficult decisions related to breast treatment and helps them navigate their health care experience. She provides assistance and emotional support to patients undergoing biopsies; newly diagnosed patients; and patients currently undergoing cancer treatments, such as surgery, reconstruction, chemotherapy and radiation. Teaming up with the patient's primary care physician, gynecologist, radiologist, surgeon, oncologist, radiation oncologist and plastic and reconstructive surgeon, the breast health coordinator becomes a patient's advocate and acts as a liaison between the patient and physicians. She provides patients with a personal contact for support, information and guidance throughout their ordeal.
Meet our Breast Health Coordinator
Kim Mamrack, RN, is Lake Health's breast health coordinator. She works with patients with breast health concerns and with breast cancer patients at all Lake Health facilities. She earned her nursing degree from St. Vincent Charity School of Nursing and earned her certification as a breast health navigator from EduCARE. Kim can be reached at 440-205-5738 or via e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Early Detection is Your Best Defense
Your best defense against breast cancer is early detection. Schedule mammograms in accordance with the guidelines for your age and doctor’s recommendations. Have your physician or nurse practitioner perform a clinical breast exam once a year. And perform monthly breast self-exams.
Lake Health offers a free waterproof “shower card” that explains breast self-exam (BSE), step-by-step. Click here to request a free shower card.
When Should You Have a Mammogram?
- Healthy women between ages 35 and 39 should have a baseline mammogram for comparison with future mammograms.
- Women age 40 and over should have a regular mammogram every one to two years with or without a clinical breast exam.
- Women age 75 and over should discuss mammography with their physicians.
Digital Mammography at Lake Health
TriPoint Medical Center, West Medical Center, and Mentor Campus offer digital mammography. Digital mammography has been found to be diagnostically superior for pre- and peri-menopausal women. It also allows us to perform a mammogram faster without sacrificing image quality. That means we can service more patients each day, reducing the time that a woman has to wait to schedule her mammogram.
Where Should You Have Your Mammogram?
Be sure to choose an accredited facility. Lake Health offers mammography at five convenient sites.* Some sites are open evenings and Saturdays. Pick the location that's best for you:
- West Medical Center 36000 Euclid Avenue Willoughby, Ohio 44094
- TriPoint Medical Center 7590 Auburn Road Concord, OH 44077
- Mentor Campus 9485 Mentor Avenue Mentor, Ohio 44060
- Madison Campus 6270 North Ridge Road Madison, Ohio 44057
- Chardon Campus, 510 Fifth Avenue, Chardon, Ohio 44024
*All five facilities are accredited by the American College of Radiology and have certificates of operation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Schedule Your Mammogram Today! Call Centralized Scheduling at 1-866-652-5253. You'll need a physician's order to schedule a mammogram. If you don't have a doctor, call the Best of Health Line at 440-953-6000 or 1-800-454-9800.
If you have any questions about mammography or breast cancer, or if you would like a physician referral, call the Best of Health Line at 440-953-6000 or 1-800-454-9800.
Preparation Tips for Your Mammogram
- It is best to schedule your mammogram at the end of your monthly period when the breasts are least filled with fluid and are not tender.
- If you have had a mammogram that was very painful, you may want to cut out caffeine for several days prior to your mammogram. You may also want to take ibuprofen or Motrin several days prior to the exam if you have no restrictions on taking these drugs.
- On the day of your mammogram do not wear any deodorant, body powders or perfume. Take your deodorant in your purse and apply it after the exam.
- It is helpful to wear comfortable clothing, possibly a skirt or pants, that will allow you to undress from the waist up.
What if I Find a Lump? Is it Cancer?
While you should be concerned about finding a breast lump, keep in mind that most lumps are not cancerous.
If you need a biopsy of a breast lump, Lake Health offers Image-Guided Core Breast Biopsy, one of the newest ways to diagnose a breast abnormality. Unlike traditional open surgical breast biopsies, this outpatient procedure involves taking a small sample of breast tissue using ultrasound- or stereotactic-guided technology without the need for incisions or general anesthesia. Image-Guided Core Breast Biopsy is appropriate for most patients whose mammograms detect an abnormality.
Image-Guided Core Breast Biopsy is available at TriPoint Medical Center and the Mentor Campus.
Introducing MammoSite
Lake Health is one of just a few hospitals in Northeast Ohio to offer a new radiation therapy called MammoSite to patients with early-stage breast cancer who choose to have lumpectomies. The MammoSite system delivers high-dose radiation directly to the site where the cancerous lump was removed, targeting the area where cancer would most likely recur. Unlike traditional beam radiation, which damages both cancer cells and healthy cells, targeted radiation is delivered from inside the body, which limits exposure to healthy cells. This helps minimize side effects such as skin discoloration, scarring, burning, fatigue and damage to surrounding organs. Another bonus: Targeted radiation therapy is completed in about five days compared with the six to seven weeks needed for traditional beam radiation. For a referral to a Lake Health physician who performs MammoSite, call the Best of Health Line at 440-953-6000 or 1-800-454-9800.
Breast Cancer Support Group
For breast cancer patients and survivors, Lake Health offers a Breast Cancer Support Group facilitated by breast health coordinator Kim Mamrack, RN. The group – open to breast cancer patients, survivors, their families and friends – provides support, information and compassion for women and men affected by breast cancer. The group meets at the Lake/University Ireland Cancer Center on the Mentor Campus on the fourth Wednesday of each month, January through October, and once in early December, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Each meeting begins with a short presentation by a special guest. Topics range from physician question and answer sessions to proper bra fitting to exercises that lower the risk of cancer recurrence. The remaining group time features open discussion among participants.