Digital mammograms are available in Kalkaska
Kalkaska Memorial Health Center continues to offer same-day appointments for mammograms year round.
Area women are encouraged to talk with their primary care provider about a referral for an exam if they are due for one.
The hospital’s state-of-the-art facility includes digital mammography screening and diagnostic exams by board-certified technologists.
“Our goal is to offer convenient hours for our residents and allow them to stay close to home for their screenings,” said Kevin Rogols, administrator of the hospital. “Patients will find convenient scheduling that not only includes many next day appointments for screenings, but early and late appointments as well. We also are able to offer testing on Saturday and Sunday.”
In 2016, an estimated 246,660 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected in the U.S. along with 61,000 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer. The disease represents nearly 30 percent of all cancers diagnosed in women.
When breast cancer is detected early in the localized stage, research shows the five-year survival rate is 98 percent. The important components of detection involve a self-exam of the breast and a mammogram, based on a woman’s age and history. Take-home pamphlets on how to do a self-exam are available in Kalkaska Memorial Health Center’s mammography suite waiting room.
At the hospital, radiologic technologists perform the mammography using a digital format. Digital mammography means there is no wait time while film images are developed. Results will be provided in the same way as film mammography, following review by a radiologist.
Images are interpreted by board-certified radiologists from the Grand Traverse Radiologists group of Traverse City – the same group that interprets images for the Smith Family Breast Health Center.
Women who choose to have their exam at Kalkaska Memorial will find a beautiful mammography suite that emphasizes the privacy of each patient.
For more information on mammography services at the hospital, call 231-258-7510.