CENTER VALLEY, Pa. -- The nation’s first one-stop clinic for breast cancer, which began as a pilot program, is now a permanent fixture in the Lehigh Valley.
St. Luke’s University Health Network’s Regional Breast Center, at 5848 Old Bethlehem Pike in Center Valley, serves as the national model for how to speed up the diagnosis and treatment process, said Celeste Slade, clinical leader of breast imaging for GE Healthcare.
- St. Luke's University Health Network's Regional Breast Center recently opened in Center Valley
- Officials say the center will serve as a national model for how to speed up the breast cancer diagnosis and treatment process
- Using a rapid diagnostic approach will cut the waiting time for a diagnosis from an average of 26 days down to 3-7 days
The new clinic has a staff of 20 and more than 300 patients.
St. Luke’s joined with PINC AI Applied Sciences and GE Healthcare to make the clinic happen.
“Our number one guiding light for this program is to reduce the time patients wait for results and to reduce their anxiety around the entire process," said Michele Brands, St. Luke’s Network director of Women’s Imaging.
"Ideally, my dream goal is to have no woman wait for results over a weekend, when you can really allow yourself to get anxious,” she said.
Using a rapid diagnostic approach cuts the waiting time of a diagnosis from an average of 26 days down to 3-7 days.
Brands said a woman presenting with concerning breast symptoms, such as a lump, breast pain or nipple discharge, will be “scaffolded with care. She meets with her breast nurse navigator, and we conduct all imaging and biopsy right onsite.”
"Ideally, my dream goal is to have no woman wait for results over a weekend, when you can really allow yourself to get anxious.”Michele Brands, St. Luke's University Health Network director of Women's Imaging
“They had a strong commitment to education, an existing regional breast center infrastructure, better-than-average results, reduced wait times and strong clinical and operational support from Dr. Joseph Russo, Dr. Karl Yaeger and Michele Brands,” said Misty Anderson, principal, Improvement Science, PINC AI Applied Sciences.
The model has been implemented in other countries, including France and Columbia. The program first came into fruition in 2019, after the coronavirus pandemic delayed the start.
As many people delayed routine examinations and mammograms during that time, the healthcare system has seen demand for these types of exams increase.
“Some people did put off routine tests during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we have seen that impact in a number of cases which could have been caught earlier," Brands said.
"Over the last five years or so, there has been a national conversation about the age a woman should start having mammograms, and how often," Brands said, "At St. Luke’s, we strongly recommend an annual screening.”
