Burbank Hospital Breast Cancer Center Gets Industry Accreditation

The Breast Health Center at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center this month was accredited by the American College of Surgeons for its services and treatments available to patients suffering from breast cancer and other breast diseases. The Burbank-based center offers various services including mammography, stereotactic breast biopsy and breast ultrasound. The majority of the Breast Health Center’s patients are treated at the Roy and Patricia Disney Family Cancer Center, which opened in 2010. That center offers clinical trials, genetics and psychological counseling and lymphedema and fitness and appearance programs designed for cancer patients. Sharon Adell, R.N, nurse navigator for the Breast Health Center, said the accreditation will give the hospital national recognition and allow it to participate in the American College of Surgeon’s National Breast Disease Database. By participating in this database, the hospital will have access to benchmark reports containing national data and assess patterns of care and outcomes reported from other accredited centers across the country. “We will be able to look at what we do and compare it with what everyone else has done,”Adell said. “It solidifies what we do and offers us a model in which we can organize and manage our center.” The ACS’s accreditation process includes a survey that determines whether the center meets 27 program standards and 17 program components when providing care for patients diagnosed with breast diseases. —Angela Melero