“YES MAMM!”

The Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation, on behalf of the Yes, Mamm! program, has received a $24,164.87 grant from the Lexington Cancer Foundation to purchase a new biopsy system that will detect breast cancer even earlier and help improve life expectancy.

St. Joseph East and St. Joseph Women’s Hospital are prominent healthcare neighbors located in southeast Lexington, just off of one of our busiest Richmond Road corridors.

The grant will allow the foundation to purchase a Mammotome Revolve ™ Dual Vacuum-Assisted Breast Biopsy System. This advanced tissue management technology minimizes tissue handling while eliminating procedure steps. It will provide an average of 250 patients annually with a highly effective and less-intensive biopsy process.

“With this funding, we will be able to provide a better biopsy experience for our patients, and ultimately, save more lives by detecting breast cancer signs earlier,” said Leslie Smart, CFRE, president, CHI Saint Joseph Health Foundations. “Thanks to the Lexington Cancer Foundation for this support that will go on to help so many patients in the communities we serve.”

The Yes, Mamm! program provides mammography screenings and diagnostic services, such as biopsies, to low-income, uninsured, underinsured, or medically underserved individuals in central and eastern Kentucky. The program collaborates with local health departments to identify individuals in need of these services and receive referrals to the program. Approximately 10 percent of the patients referred for this program require a follow-up biopsy or diagnostic screening.

This article appears in the monthly health section of Hamburg Journal’s March 2022 print edition.