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October 16, 2006
Benewah Community Hospital Now Provides a Softer Mammogram
Benewah Community Hospital now provides a new product that dramatically eases the discomfort many women feel when they get a mammogram.
The FDA-cleared foam cushion, called MammoPad®, creates a softer, warmer mammogram. Benewah Community Hospital is a certified Softer Mammogram Provider, a distinction awarded only to an elite group of healthcare facilities. The facility hopes to increase the number of area women who follow recommendations for regular screenings.
“The MammoPad provides a soft warm cushion for the breast during mammography,” said Dr. Michael Melendez, M.D., Radiologist at BCH. "And because women are more relaxed during the exam, it makes it even easier for our mammography technologists to get the best possible image."
“We try to create the best possible experience for our patients,” said Dr. Melendez. “We’re pleased to be able to offer our patients this important enhancement.” For more information, call the hospital’s radiology department at 245-7631, or access its Web site at www.bchmed.org.
The American Cancer Society reports women can greatly reduce their risk of death from breast cancer if they receive regular mammographic screens. For this reason, both the society and the American College of Radiology recommend that women 40 and older receive mammograms yearly. Yet despite the urgency of this message, nearly 40 percent of American women don't get regular recommended mammograms. Studies have shown mammography pain is a major reason some women do not return for annual screening.
The new foam cushion could help reverse this trend. MammoPad has been clinically studied in both the U.S. and Sweden, where evaluations in more than 1,300 patients found approximately 70 percent experienced a significant reduction in pain when the cushion was used, Dr. Melendez noted.
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