Loretto Hospital Women's Imaging Services

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20142014Loretto Hospital

Published in partnership with Austin Weekly News

WoMen’S IMaGInG SerVIceS

2 2014 Loretto Hospital

Loret to Hosp i ta l

b y D e b Q u a n t o c k M c c a r e y

Seven years ago, when Loretto Hospital’s Dr. Ken LaPat was asked by administrators to take on the task of transi-

tioning the community hospital’s outdated radiology department into a state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging site, the board certified radiologist “jumped at the chance to do it,” he says.

“We could see that this was a chance to really contribute, because in medicine we are here for a reason, and part of it is being able to bring a department up to a standard of care, from a place that didn’t have that. And, being able to do that is special,” says Dr. LaPat “because it is building something for the future, and that is really exciting for a physician.”

In the first six years, Dr. LaPat says they added a 64-Slice CT scanner, with work station. They invested in digitizing the entire radiology/diagnostic imaging department, providing exten-sive training to staff regarding the protocols of operating the new mammography equipment; fluoroscopy/real-time x-ray suite; and stereotactic biopsy table and Mammotome biopsy system.

To improve breast cancer patients’ care and support, they acquired grant funding to hire a full-time patient navigator.

“With all this, now we can keep track of a patient in our system, and when they enter a more com-plicated phase of the disease, we can refer them to an institution that can treat that stage of breast cancer,” says Dr. LaPat. “To be frank, this is the standard of care [biopsy procedures] at a communi-ty hospital,” he says, “and it is so important because breast cancer, the incidence of it in this commu-nity, and in communities around the country, is so high.”

Referring to recent data from U.S. Cancer Statistics, Dr. LaPat says that about one in eight U.S. women (about 12%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. He adds that the information shows that

overall, in women under age 45, breast cancer is more common in African-American women than white women, and the statistics indicate that African-American women are more likely to die of breast cancer.

“Generally speaking, the majori-ty of the women who come in to get an annual mammogram will not have breast cancer,” Dr. LaPat says. “But if they do, in this screen-ing method, we can pick up early breast cancer which gives us the best chance to cure the disease.”

Early detection saves livesThree years ago, board certi-

fied radiologist Dr. Polina Petrovic joined the department, and is now its Chair. “Since our group arrived we have really taken the initiative to ensure we have state of the art women’s imaging ser-vices accessible to the residents of the Austin area. In addition we do non-invasive and minimally inva-sive diagnostic procedures using

state of the art digital equipment. What that means is, now we can fully meet your breast imaging needs at Loretto Hospital, from screening mammogram, to - if necessary - diagnostic mammo-gram and biopsy. In the future, Loretto Hospital’s aim is to treat the early stages of breast cancer onsite, from a screening mammo-gram, to diagnostic mammogram and/or ultrasound, needle biopsy and early stage breast cancer sur-geries, Dr. LaPat says.

“We have a long history in the Austin area, and we believe it is a matter of getting the information out and letting everyone know that we are here, that we can do all the things we do, and that they need not be afraid to come in and get a screening mammogram on an annu-al basis,” Dr. LaPat says. “If more women will do that, we are hoping that in the end, having that mam-mogram will save a lot more lives, by decreasing morbidity and mortality of a common disease, breast cancer.”

Loretto on leading edge

Provided by Loretto Hospital

(top) Fischer Stereotactic biopsy machine. (above) a tech works with the toshiba 64 Slice ct Scanner.

At Loretto Hospital, we strive to provide our patients with Better Standards, Better Care and Better Outcomes in a safe and holistic envi-ronment. For 75 years, Loretto Hospital has been standing strong deliver-ing quality healthcare to the residents of the Austin and surrounding communities.

This is an exciting time for us. Over the past several years, we have concentrated our efforts on expanding our services and improving our infra-structure to ensure that we are meeting the health-care needs of the commu-nity. The following stories are examples of our com-mitment to our patients and the recent growth of our Women’s Imaging Services and Radiology Department.

As we look forward to our continued growth and the next 75 years, I want to assure you that with every new program that we establish, or through any of our existing medi-cal services, our primary goal is to provide our patients and their fami-lies with an exemplary health care experience.

Dr. Sonia MehtaCEO/Chief Medical Officer

Loretto Hospital

M E S S A G E F R O M T H E C E O

health care experience.

Dr. Sonia Mehta

Loretto Hospital 2014 3



In October, during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Loretto Hospital will

be raising awareness of the disease with an oppor-tunity for women in the Austin community area to have a $50 screening mammogram, says Mary Rinder, the Director of Diagnostic Imaging at Loretto Hospital, 645 S. Central Avenue in Chicago.

In addition, during that window of time, for women who meet certain criteria, their screening mammogram will be free, thanks to the hospital’s fundraising arm, Loretto Hospital Foundation.

“We have done this now for over a year because the hospital has made a com-mitment to offer screening and diagnostic mammo-grams at an affordable fee so women can come in and be able to get one, because one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and it is a very treatable disease in the early stages,” Rinder says.

To learn more about why women should pay close attention to their breast health year-round, Austin Weekly News had a conversation with the director of diagnostic imag-ing at Loretto Hospital.

Why should women begin getting an annual screening mammogram at age 40?

Rinder: The idea is to catch it in the early stages of breast cancer, where treatment is nearly cur-

able for the condition. The American Cancer Society recommends that women, starting at the age of 40, have a base line mammo-gram, which means that then we can compare the mammogram every year along the way, not only to see if there’s an abnormal-ity in her breast, but also to monitor changes year to year. Especially if they have a strong family history of breast cancer, they should be talking to their doctor about having one earlier.

Why do some women put this off?

Rinder: It’s bizarre to talk about it, but I think that being concerned about the discomfort of a mammogram is probably the number one fear that a woman has, and prob-ably why she is initially less likely to come in for a screening mammogram. It can be uncomfortable, but it should not be pain-ful… because we only hold that compressive posi-tion for less than 30 sec-onds, and as technicians, we will accommodate a patients needs.

Why else do women wait?Rinder: Especially if

they have found an abnor-mality during a self exam, some women feel it’s bet-ter to just ignore it, not think about it, and every-thing will be fine, rather than knowing one way or another if a lump is benign or cancerous. Even though there is a real inci-dence of breast cancer, 80% of the exams that we do, where there is a diag-nostic follow-up study, it

is nothing -- just normal breast tissue. But it is so important to always check.

Why should women make an appointment to get a mammo-gram at Loretto Hospital now?

Rinder: We are the clos-est community hospital for anybody in the 60644 zip code. And, we have all of the state of the art imaging equipment that

any other big univer-sity hospital would have. Ours is in a community setting, where the radiolo-gists and staff are person-able, and they care about each patient that walks through the door. Also, when a woman calls to make an appointment, we can usually do her mam-mogram that same day, or the next day, and she can

usually have her results by the end of the week.

What happens if a woman gets a letter calling her back for additional images?

Rinder: We have a patient navigator here who spends all day follow-ing up on patients, mak-ing sure that they come back for their additional imaging studies, and she schedules them for biop-sies, and makes sure they get results on a timely basis. No patient falls through the cracks here, because we work very hard to support every woman we see, by giving them that personal touch.

Think Pink in October

Mary rinder, director of the Diagnostic Imaging Department at Loretto Hospital.

DaVID PeIrInI/Staff photographer

“Ours is in a community setting, where the radiologists and staff are personable, and they care about each patient that walks

through the door. ”Mary Rinder

Director of diagnostic imaging department




Work days at 7 a.m. at Loretto Hospital its tag team of ultrasound tech-nicians, Affrah Shahbain

and Mandeep Kaur, begin seeing a steady stream of patients. With various reasons for being there, these patients count on their skill and professional touch to procure an accurate internal picture of their bodies.

Among the patients they see are women who have received a red flag from a radiologist in the diagnostic imaging department, related to an abnormality first seen in a screening mammogram.

“It is part of our job to work as a team with the radiologist and other physicians to give

internal images that help in the diagnosis, and treatment of dis-eases, including breast cancer,” says Shahbain. “Sometimes the characteristic of the pathol-ogy, which can be seen in the ultrasound report, may lead to them getting a biopsy, or a rec-ommendation to return in six months for another monitoring view of the breast, because we provide the same picture in a different way, so the radiologist can use it alongside the diag-nostic mammogram.”

Kaur adds that when patients are nervous, she explains that the ultrasound will either clear them for now, or determine if a biopsy is needed.

“I always tell them that wheth-er what you have is a cyst, or even if you think it is benign,

still follow up with your doc-tor, especially if there is a dis-charge, and if there is a bloody discharge, we tell them to come in right away,” Kaur says.

Reading their imagery is Dr. Ken LaPat, one of the board cer-tified radiologists in the diag-nostic imaging department. He counts on the ultrasound techni-cian’s expertise to better diag-nose an abnormality in a breast because “many times when we do an ultrasound, what we are looking closer at turns out to be a simple cyst, and cysts are almost always benign,” he says.

An ultrasound, he says, can also help a radiologist see lesions in the breast that were otherwise not visible in a diagnostic mam-mogram, making it clear that the patient needs the next diagnostic measure, which is an onsite, and outpatient, needle biopsy.

“Thirty years ago, a biopsy meant a woman needed to go into surgery, and have anesthesia, and maybe not a huge incision but still it involved anesthesia and a surgi-cal procedure,” Mary Rinder, direc-tor of diagnostic imaging says.

Thanks to recent up-grades

in the department, at Loretto Hospital, minimally invasive biop-sy techniques are used, e.g. one or two needles that are inserted into the patient to procure tissue samples, either with the assist of mammography, stereotactic biop-sy unit, or by performing an ultra-sound-guided biopsy, says Rinder.

“Ultrasound is not recognized as a screening tool for breast cancer. However, it is an adjunct tool to work together with mam-mography, especially patients with a lump or any abnormality that the radiologist sees,” she says. “It is another tool to inves-tigate the breast, to be able to identify what’s going on. Also, ultrasound picks up different characteristics of the breast than a mammogram would. A mammogram is excellent for seeing calcifications, things like that, whereas an ultrasound will be able to highlight an area that is either filled with fluid, a cyst, as opposed to solid mass. There are different reasons, but the ultrasound, as I said, is not used as a screening method. I know some women would like it to be, but it’s not effective.”

Offering a diagnosis for life

technician ebony Jordan with Loretto Hospital’s Dexa unit.




barbara Parker, left, says patient navigator Diane Salgado has been a god-send during her treatment for breast cancer.



When first meeting Loretto Hospital’s patient navi-gator, Diana Salgado, it’s easy to take in the scope

of her work as she seamlessly interacts with patients. She is the 45 year old, tender hearted and extremely efficient moth-er of five who is the face and voice of the Diagnostic Imaging Department at Loretto Hospital in Chicago for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients.

“I follow up on all abnormal mammograms, and schedule their diagnostic mammo,” she says. “Then I schedule their ultrasounds, and schedule their biopsies and if they need more, I go with them to their doctor appointments. Whatever they need, and wherever they need me to navigate for them, I will do,” says Salgado, who also helps cancer patients navigate the bill-ing and insurance process, as

well as how to obtain social secu-rity benefits.

“I follow them until their results are negative, or until they start their cancer treatment and are comfortable going to it by themselves, but I will still call them to make sure everything is going okay,” she says.

A year ago, that’s how she met cancer patient Barbara Parker, 54. Since Salgado swept into her life, Parker says it was Salgado who helped her come to grips with her diagnosis of early stage breast cancer, and whatever came next.

“Okay, I had cancer, but at first I didn’t want to know I had can-cer, because it was like this: if I didn’t know about it before this, and I was doing okay, what differ-ence does it make,” says Parker. “But, me and Diana talked, and she helped me through the entire process, including the needle biopsy at Loretto, and my sur-gery [a lumpectomy at a different facility], because I wasn’t going

to do it, if it had not been for her.”

Prior to and lead-ing up to one of Parker’s appoint-ments, a needle biopsy, “Diana just wouldn’t leave it,” Parker says laugh-ing. “Then that day, she was outside of my door, picking me up, and when I saw her at the door, I knew it would be okay, so I got my scarf and I went. I love Diana to death. If it hadn’t been for her, I wouldn’t have gone through with any of this. But Diana kept calling me every day saying ‘It’s going to be all right’ and ‘you need to get in here, you need to get in here.’ If she hadn’t done that, I would have just con-tinued to live my life and let it be because I was feeling fine.”

After having had a lumpecto-my, Parker says she underwent a regiment of radiation, avoid-ing a phase of chemotherapy,

which she did not want to do, by tak-ing Tamoxifen [a pill] thanks to her patient advocate, Salgado.

“She helped me through everything, and now the hard part is over. After I went through the biopsy and stuff, and the surgery, she just

was there… I had Diana, and in a way, it lessened the pain,” Parker says.

Since then, Loretto Hospital’s patient navigator has also linked Parker to the local American Cancer Society, where the cancer survivor has acquired a wig, and been able to take advantage of other services they provide to women living with cancer.

“I feel that if I am going to help our patients, I might as well go all the way and do everything I can for them,” says Salgado. “Because if I had cancer, I would like some-one to do that for me, too.”

Navigating women

through a diagnosis of breast

cancerWeb extraSee more patient interviews online.

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At age 69, when Aline Johnson, now 74, was initially diagnosed with breast cancer, the lively

senior citizen recalls how “when the doctor told me I had breast cancer I said, well praise the Lord, and the young lady in Loretto Hospital’s radiology department that I told that story to asked me if I was in denial, because I didn’t jump into a tizzy, like I was afraid. Because I was not afraid.”

For Johnson, an ordained elder in her West Side church, that was in 2009, or her second ever screen-ing mammogram.

“I was living in Chicago Ridge when I was in this program that said everyone needed to get a mammogram, so I started coming to Loretto [five years ago],” she recalls. “When I had the mammo-gram at Loretto, they saw some scar tissue and that is when they said I had cancer. They recom-

mended me to another doctor, and he took it out, so initially I had a mammogram, a diagnostic mam-mogram, a biopsy and then a sur-gery,” she says.

Post lumpectomy, it was during her monthly self breast exams she caught another mass in her breast…twice.

“My breast has been operated on three times since then, but the thing is that I believe in God, and when I found it myself, it was a blessing, because it was early and I didn’t have to have chemo-therapy, only radiation,”she says.

For many reasons, as Johnson did, many women put off getting their first annual mammogram, way past the age of 40, when doing it early can detect cancer and lead to saving their lives, says Dr. Polina Petrovic, chair of the Diagnostic Imaging Department at Loretto Hospital.

”I always tell my female patients that you want to catch cancer when it is small and early, because you do not want to find

it when it is too late to do any-thing realistic about it, says Dr. Petrovic. “So I always tell women that how we initially detect breast cancer is with mammography.”

Mammogram technician Ebony Jordan adds that fear of pain is an unsubstantiated factor, although unfortunately fretting about hav-ing a mammogram, and how it will feel, does keep some women from making an appointment.

“I have seen women have their mammogram and say, ‘oh that wasn’t so bad,’” she says. “It’s really about, oh my God, what if I have cancer because no one wants to be told that they have cancer, but, just because you have a screening mammogram doesn’t mean you have cancer, and if you do have cancer, you want to have

your mammogram every year so if you do, it can be detected and removed.”

As Johnson reflects on her cir-cumstances, she says she believes every woman should get a screen-ing mammogram, and not wait, as she did, even if they feel fine now, “because you never know what is going on in there,” Johnson says.

“I am scheduled for a mammo-gram, but it is not on the books yet. But, as soon as they schedule a mammogram, I will take one,” she says. “Sometimes we all need that little push, because if no one had ever told me to take a mam-mogram, I wouldn’t have done it,” she says. “But now I am glad I did. I think everyone needs to take a mammogram to take care of themselves.”

Life saving at any age Dr. Polina Petrovic, radiology

Department chair.DaVID PeIrInI/Staff photographer

“I always tell women that how we initially detect breast cancer is with mammography.”

Dr. Polina Petrovicchair of the diagnostic imaging department



Helping fund Loretto Hospital’s futureb y D e b Q u a n t o c k

M c c a r e y

Since it’s inception in 2000, the aim of Loretto Hospital Foundation (LHF)

has been to be the fun-draising arm of Loret-to Hospital by provid-ing financial support for infrastructure and equip-ment upgrades, capital projects and the hospital’s community outreach pro-gramming.

In October, in recogni-tion of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, will be the opportunity for any woman to come into Loretto’s Diagnostic Imaging department and have a $50 mammogram, thanks to LHF.

“During that time, we also have a program where women from the community who meet cer-tain criteria come into the hospital and get their screening mammogram free of charge, if they are not in a position to pay for it,” says Tesa Anewishki, Director of Marketing, and Foundation Adminis-trator.

Since 2012, LHF has also provided funding to upgrade lighting in the hospital’s operating rooms, purchase clini-cal equipment including a Mammotome machine (also used for breast biop-sies); as well as helped cre-

ate a patient care fund to purchase essential clini-cal equipment including wheelchairs, endoscopy video, stress echocardio-gram machines and a CT scanner.

LHF has also provided funding to assist Loretto Hospital with the mainte-nance of hospital environ-ment, including remodel-ing of patient care rooms, lobby upgrades, and exte-rior improvements.

Moreover, annually in March, LHF funding fuels “The Pink Café’ breast cancer awareness pro-gramming.

“Sometimes it can be a very awkward situation talking about your breasts and what do they feel

like and changes in your breasts,” says Anewish-ki. “We want women to be cognizant about their bodies and those changes, so they can recognize if there is a need to go to the doctor faster, than they would if they were taking their typical annual mam-mogram.”

Also, along the way has

been the construction of the Connie L. Lindsey Cancer Resource Center, which is “another exam-ple of how the hospital is committed to meeting the need for health education and access to information for the community when you talk about cancer,” Anewishki says.

She adds that the hospi-tal, in an effort to extend that outreach, has formed partnerships with the American Cancer Society, Sisters Network, Sisters Speaking Out, and others.

Providing the funding for these projects and edu-cational initiatives are

private donations, and the annual Golfing for Loretto Golf Outing, plus the Spirit of Achievement Award gala, an annual event that recognizes an individual who has con-tributed to the betterment of the Austin community.

“Other smaller fund-raisers are ongoing,” she says.

“Initially, the Founda-tion was born out of an understanding that there was a need to support the hospital in terms of patient transportation buses, because we have a lot of elderly patients, who prior to the purchase of a bus, had no transportation to us,” says Anewishki.

“Our goal, long term, is to continue on that path of generating funds so we can continue to support those programs and ser-vices the community of Austin, and our extend-ed service area, need,” Anewishki says.

To make a donation to Loretto Hospital Foundation, or to become a sponsor of a hospital program, link to www.lorettohospitalfoundation.org.

(From top to bottom) camille y. Lilly, vice president of external affairs, and Mary rinder, director of radiology present a rendering of Loretto’s kiss the Wall tribute; an upcoming display to honor women who have survived breast cancer for 5 plus years.

Loretto Hospital community Health nurse is administers free blood pressure screening to guests during the Pink café.

Volunteers and several community residents gather for a group photo at the conclusion of the 2nd annual Pink café breast Health education event.

Photos provided by Loretto Hospital

One of the best allies you can have for maintaining good health is a doctor who knows you and your medical history. At Loretto Hospital’s Ambulatory Care Clinic, our highly trained doctors and staff take the time to get to know each patient so that we can deliver the best individualized care and attention.

Our patients also have access to on-site diagnostic testing and transportation services making their visits easier and more convenient.

Ambulatory Care Clinic

Loretto Hospital • 645 S. Central Ave. Chicago, IL 60644 • (773) 626-4300 To make your appointment call (773) 854-5475

For more information about Loretto Hospital’s Ambulatory Care Clinic or for a complete list of services visit lorettohospital.org.

SERVICES:

Primary Care Services(773) 854-5475

Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation(773) 854-5580

Radiology/Diagnostic Imaging(773) 854-5220

Laboratory(773) 854-5250

Outpatient Behavioral Health Center(773) 854-5290

PCC Community Wellness Center and

Austin Outpatient Pharmacy

also on site.

Walk-ins welcome!

Schedule your mammogram today.

Call (773) 854-5233Extended hours of operation and same day service are available.Extended hours of operation and same day service are available.

Each year nearly 300,000 women are diagnosed with the disease. And, each year close to 40,000 of them die from it. Don’t take any chances. Get tested because early detection can save your life.

Loretto Hospital proudly supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Throughout the month of October, qualified individuals can receive a mammogram for only $50* *Certain restriction apply. Call for details.

Loretto Hospital proudly Loretto Hospital proudly Get a $50 Mammogram

Schedule your mammogram today.

Call (773) 854-5233Extended hours of operation and same day service are available.Extended hours of operation and same day service are available.

Live Life. Beat Breast Cancer.

Loretto Hospital645 South Central Avenue • Chicago, Illinois 60644

(773) 626-4300

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Loretto Hospital Women's Imaging Services

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