Baptist Health Opens Hill Breast Center on October 11
New Center Will Help Women Turn Anxiety into Answers

Jacksonville, Florida, October 11, 2010 -- On October 11, 2010, Baptist Health opened the Margaret and Robert Hill Breast Center at 1235 San Marco Blvd. All breast health diagnostics for Baptist Health have relocated from the Baptist Medical Pavilion to the Hill Breast Center. The Hill Breast Center is Northeast Florida's most comprehensive breast center, designed to serve the community as a single destination for a complete continuum of breast care -- including screening, diagnosis, treatment, genetic counseling, education and complementary therapies such as yoga.

The 22,000-square-foot Hill Breast Center was made possible by a gift from Margaret and Robert Hill Jr. Mr. Hill is chair of the Baptist Health board and he and his wife are committed to comprehensive, accessible breast health services for our community.

Patients of the Hill Breast Center and their families will benefit from quick and easy access to state-of-the-art breast health resources, provided in a soothing environment that promotes wellness and healing. Patients who have been recently diagnosed with breast cancer will have immediate, on-site access to comprehensive surgical, medical and radiation oncology services, as well as the personal attention of a Breast Care Coordinator. With eight dedicated mammography specialists, the center also serves as a regional hub for accurate, rapid diagnosis of mammography results, thanks to the use of digital imaging technologies throughout the Baptist Health system.

Advanced Technology for Detecting Breast Cancer

The new center will increase diagnostic capability, housing:

• Four brand new digital mammography machines (and transferring three from the current Pavilion location) that provide crystal-clear images for the best possible accuracy.
• Six new breast ultrasound machines which integrate with digital mammography images to more accurately diagnose breast cancer. Another benefit of breast ultrasound is that does not produce radiation.
• New breast MRI technology that can help distinguish between noncancerous and cancerous areas, particularly in dense breast tissue. The new MRI machine is wide bore, which means it is roomier for women who are claustrophobic or heavier.
• Jacksonville's first LumaGEM™ MBI System for molecular breast imaging, which is able to detect millimeter-size breast cancers missed by mammography, especially in women with dense breast tissue.
• A new bone density scanner that screens for osteoporosis comfortably and accurately.
• Board-certified mammographers (radiologists specializing in breast diagnostics), registered mammography technologists, nurses and other healthcare professionals who will provide their expertise, all under one roof.

Core biopsies will be performed at the Hill Breast Center using MRI, ultrasound or stereotactic four-directional imaging. A biopsy is a sampling of tissue that can be examined under microscope to look for breast cancer cells.

By the first of the year, it is planned for breast surgeons to perform minor breast surgeries in the center on the second floor.

A Healing Environment

The Hill Breast Center will feature a spa-like environment with soothing music, peaceful images on large plasma TV screens, use of natural and soft light and a beautiful setting. In the future, Baptist plans to offer complementary medicine options at the center, including massage therapy, acupuncture and post-surgery exercise classes. Specially trained healthcare professionals also will offer women the Healing Touch Program™ an energy therapy in which practitioners use their hands in a heart-centered and intentional way to support physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health.

"Breast care at the Hill Breast Center, as at our community hospitals, will be personalized to each woman, based on her clinical and personal needs and preferences," says Linda Allen, director, Breast Health Services. "We will have special gowns that protect her privacy during a mammogram; comfortable, quiet consultation rooms where she, her loved ones and her doctor can talk; private patient elevator access to different floors of the Hill Breast Center; WiFi internet access and a van to transport patients from our center to Baptist Medical Center for treatment when necessary."

Other features of the Breast Hill Center include physical and occupational therapy for post-mastectomy patients, which can help prevent and reduce effects on a patient's range of motion from surgical intervention and subsequent radiation and chemotherapy treatment.

Comprehensive Care, Where Women Live and Work

Screening mammography will continue to be available at Baptist Medical Center Beaches, Baptist Medical Center Nassau and Baptist Medical Center South, and will now also be available at the Hill Breast Center. Women who are diagnosed with breast cancer have the convenience of receiving treatment at Baptist Medical Center or any of the Baptist Health community hospitals. To help them through their journey, Baptist offers RN breast care coordinators at all four of Baptist Health's adult hospitals. "The breast care coordinators can support a woman who has been diagnosed with breast cancer as much or as little as she wants," says Allen. "They are there from diagnosis through treatment, and even after a woman is cured of breast cancer. It's part of the personalized care we offer."

A Team of Breast Health Experts

Using evidence-based protocols for breast cancer, each patient's case is discussed in a weekly breast conference that involves a multi-disciplinary team from across the Baptist Health system. Breast surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, a pathologist and other breast health experts collaborate to develop recommended treatment options. "Women can get a second, third or fourth opinion, right in our center," says Dr. Granfield. "We have all of the expertise a woman needs to make sure the diagnosis is accurate and that we are doing everything we can to reach the best possible outcome."

Those Who Share Our Vision

The seed for the Hill Breast Center was planted in 2003, when Dr. Granfield and Baptist leadership wanted to decrease a backlog for screening mammograms (a common problem throughout the United States).

In response, Baptist centralized diagnostic services to one location, which reduced wait times for screening mammograms from more than eight months to just one day. Additionally, advanced tests such as image-guided biopsies were made available the same day as, or shortly after a patient's diagnostic test. We also migrated to new digital mammography from analog (film) equipment, so images would be more accurate and could be transferred digitally to a central location, where a team of dedicated mammography specialists could read them.

"Being together in a dedicated center to discuss cases allows us to continue to learn from each other, ultimately resulting in better outcomes for patients," Dr. Granfield says. As plans for a new breast center were developed, Dr. Granfield and colleague Kathryn Pearson, MD, also worked with Baptist Health Foundation to share the vision with potential donors. Margaret and Robert Hill Jr. were inspired by the plan and by the partnerships involved, and made a leadership gift to name the breast center.

"Margaret and I see this as a tremendous opportunity to benefit the community," says Mr. Hill. "This Breast Center will bring together world-class resources and help save lives throughout the region."

The Hills were joined by Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard and his wife, Mary. The David Garrard Foundation supports the fight against breast cancer, which took the life of David's mother, Shirley, when he was just 14 years old. "Lending my support is a way to keep my mother's legacy alive," Garrard says. Finally, many Baptist employees worked together to develop the Hill Breast Center and prepare it for the opening this month.

"The Hill Breast Center is a gift to our community and a physical representation of the commitment Baptist Health has made to providing women with the best possible experience in receiving screening mammography, as well as diagnostic services," says Hugh Greene, president and chief executive officer, Baptist Health. "I am extremely gratified by the efforts of everyone involved. This is one of our most satisfying accomplishments on behalf of our community."