As way to take the stress and anxiety out of waiting, Good Samaritan Medical Center’s Breast Institute is now offering same day mammography results for patients who undergo a mammogram. 

“Women have a one in eight chance of developing breast cancer at some time in their lifetime. Having this new option will give women the peace of mind not to worry about their results, or take the proper steps to get treatment as soon as possible.”, said Good Samaritan Medical Center chief executive officer, Tara McCoy. "The Breast Institute at Good Samaritan is a signature service of our hospital that continues to implement new ways to enhance the lives of our patients.”
 
As part of a comprehensive approach to cancer care, the Good Samaritan Breast Institute is a full-service breast cancer screening and treatment facility within Good Samaritan Medical Center. The Breast Institute offers low-dose screening and diagnostic mammography, breast cancer surgery, stereotactic biopsy, ultrasound, CT scanning, PET-CT, bone densitometry and support groups for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients or patients with advanced breast cancer.


Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade, the County’s prenatal and infant care coalition, recently announced Jeannette Torres as the new director of programs.

As an executive leader, Torres brings more than ten years of professional experience to her new position at the coalition. Prior to joining the Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade, Torres was the education director at the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education, supporting educators, childcare professionals and parents committed to the highest standards of early education.
 
Torres earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Florida International University and two years later earned a Master of Science degree in Mental Health Counseling from Nova Southeastern University, graduating with honors from both institutions.


The Michael and Dianne Bienes Comprehensive Cancer Center at Holy Cross Hospital is proud to announce the arrival and commissioning of state-of-the-art radiotherapy equipment. The success of radiotherapy is dependent upon the ability to methodically create a safe and effective radiotherapy plan and thereafter ensure that treatment delivery is both accurate and precise. In order to achieve the aforementioned goals, highly trained, certified and experienced medical teams along with the finest equipment are necessary.

Radiotherapy begins with the CT simulation process. This step is done to help plan one’s radiotherapy by obtaining a CT scan that is used for subsequent treatment planning. Holy Cross Hospital’s CT simulator is being upgraded with further 4-D capability to help follow and track one’s breathing. This is particularly useful for treatment of thoracic malignancies. Furthermore, Holy Cross can utilize approaches such as breath hold for treatment of breast cancer.
 
Once a CT scan is ascertained, treatment planning ensues. Previous diagnostic information including scans such as MRI, CT, and PET/CT are uploaded and fused by Holy Cross Hospital’s physics and dosimetry team. At this time, the medical team reviews the imaging and utilizes software to contour or draw the tumor as well as the rest of the patient’s anatomy. The hospital is currently utilizing the treatment planning computer and electronic medical record systems of Pinnacle and Mosaiq for this purpose and are looking forward to the addition of the advanced systems of Eclipse and ARIA. The purpose of treatment planning is to ensure a plan that delivers curative doses of radiotherapy while minimizing side effects. Once a plan is reviewed and found to be optimal, Holy Cross will move on to the treatment delivery step.
 
As a complement to the established Elekta equipment, Holy Cross is currently in the process of installing the Varian True Beam linear accelerator for treatment delivery. Advanced treatment techniques such as volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT), stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), and stereotactic radiotherapy (SRS) will be delivered on this True Beam device. This machine will not only be the newest in the region, but also one of the most upgraded units in the country. As such, Varian, the radiotherapy company, even proposed utilizing the Holy Cross cancer center to showcase the innovative radiotherapy program. The hospital is also upgrading its brachytherapy units in order to provide not only traditional treatments for gynecological and genitourinary malignancies, but also the treatment of skin and gastrointestinal diseases. These resources will also provide an opportunity for more clinical trials at Holy Cross Hospital, which will have a unique department that supports both Varian and Elekta machines to ensure that patients receive individualized care and are treated on equipment that provide optimal and personalized treatment.


The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recognized the C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics with several Health Center Quality Improvement Fiscal Year 2019 Grant Awards, including a gold badge as a Health Center Quality Leader for ranking among the top 10% of health centers nationally for clinical quality.

The Brumback Clinics received a total of $176,501 in grants that include these three other awards:
• Access Enhancer Awards recognizes health centers that increased the total number of patients served and the number of patients receiving comprehensive services between 2017 and 2018.
• Health Disparities Reducer Awards recognizes health centers that met or exceeded the Healthy People 2020 goals, or made at least a 10% improvement across different racial/ethnic groups between 2017 and 2018.
• Patient Centered Medical Home recognition at multiple sites recognizes health centers that provide health care that is relationship-based with an orientation toward the whole person.


Broward Health has been recognized for achievements in Supply Chain Savings from Vizient. Broward Health received both the Participation Leadership and the Impact Standardization Executive Awards, which recognize health care organizations for demonstrating excellence in lowering costs in the supply chain, streamlining purchasing practices, earning additional rebates and overall lowering pricing from manufacturers.

“Congratulations to our Supply Chain Team, as well as the Supplier Diversity Program at Broward Health, for their hard work,” said Broward Health Chief Financial Officer Alex Fernandez. “Lowering prices in the supply chain and streamlining purchasing practices results in better financial health for our system resulting in better care for our patients.”
 
In addition, Broward Health received the Supplier Diversity Excellence Award. This award recognizes members that best champion inclusion in their supply chain and accelerate economic growth in the local community through the engagement, empowerment, and utilization of minority, women, and veteran-owned business enterprises.
 
“I am very proud of our team’s hard work and resulting achievements,” said Jorge Hernandez, vice president of supply chain services and chief procurement officer at Broward Health. “Inclusion in the supply chain through the engagement of minority businesses helps foster diversity not just within Broward Health, but for our community as a whole.”