SC Johnson has donated $140,000 to the Brant Community Healthcare System (BCHS) to support the purchase of new mammography technology for the SC Johnson Department of Medical Imaging and Diagnostics.
BCHS first received digital mammography units back in 2012 and now as they approach their end of life and replacement parts become scarce, BCHS says it was time for an upgrade.
“Digital mammography, with the capability for breast tomosynthesis and contrast enhanced mammography will allow us to best support breast cancer care at BCHS,” said Dr. Angela Fleming, chief and medical director of the Department of Diagnostic Imaging. “This investment from SC Johnson will greatly increase our ability to provide our patients with exemplary care”.
Mammography is a tool radiologists rely on to diagnose breast cancer and follow the progression and treatment of the disease. Breast tomosynthesis is an advanced form of mammographic imaging that allows the creation of three-dimensional images of the breasts, “proven to improve the ability of mammography to diagnose cancer in certain types of breast tissue.”
BCHS says the new equipment will have both breast tomosynthesis and contrast enhanced mammographic (CEM) capabilities which is known to have the ability, particularly within dense breast tissue, to identify very subtle and concealed breast cancer.
Benefits of the new digital mammography include:
- More accurate diagnoses
- Faster image acquisition
- Improved contrast between dense and non-dense breast tissue
- Ability to correct under or over-exposure of images without having to repeat mammograms
- Reduction in the need for follow up visits
- Decrease in unnecessary biopsies
- Physicians can manipulate breast images for more accurate detection of breast cancer.
This latest donation made by SC Johnson puts their total cumulative giving to the BCHS at just over $4.8 million, making them one of the largest donors to the local healthcare system.
