New Breast Care Centre at St. Joseph’s designed to improve breast cancer diagnosis and treatment
St. Joseph’s Health Centre will be home to a new breast care centre designed to reduce the time it takes to diagnose and create treatment plans for patients with breast cancer.
The 7,000-square-foot Geoffrey H. Wood Foundation Cente of Excellence in Breast Cancer Screening and Treatment will centralize breast care and breast cancer services – including mammography, surgical services, oncology and biopsies – to allow for better coordination between services and appointments. Construction is underway and the centre, which will be located on the third floor of St. Joseph’s, is scheduled to be complete in the summer of 2022.
The cornerstone of the new centre is a second mammography unit that will nearly triple the annual capacity for mammograms, from approximately 3,300 to 10,000 exams each year.
“Right now, the system is siloed, meaning that a patient will come in for diagnostic imaging, then they’ll come back a second time for a biopsy, then again for other services,” said Dr. Tara Williams, Medical Director and Chief of Diagnostic Imaging at St. Joseph’s. “The new centre will be a one-stop shop where patients can have their initial appointment, biopsy and surgical consultation in a much shorter time.”
Centralizing services will also support better collaboration between multidisciplinary teams, resulting in expedited treatment plans.
“Working in one space means that we can consult on our patients’ care plans more efficiently,” said Lisa Hicks, Manager of Medical Imaging at St. Joseph’s. “This is exciting for us as clinicians but it’ll also alleviate stress for our patients and families, who won’t have to wait as long to begin treatment.”
The second mammography unit will benefit adults across Ontario. In 2016, St. Joseph’s was designated an Ontario Breast Cancer Screening Program site by Cancer Care Ontario, meaning that people between the ages of 50 and 74 can book a mammogram without a referral.
The new breast care centre was made possible by donations from The Geoffrey H. Wood Foundation, the Koehle Family, Myron and Berna Garron, the Temerty Foundation, the Ladies’ Lunch and others.
“We’re grateful to the many donors who share our vision for better breast cancer screening and treatment and who’ve lent their support to make this vision a reality,” said Maria Dyck, President and CEO of the St. Joseph’s Health Centre Foundation. “This donation helps us keep our promise to look after the health needs of all those who we care for.”