Eye On Magazine

White River Health System (WRHS) received a $34,400 grant from the Arkansas Affiliate of Komen for the Cure for its GYM (Get Your Mammogram) program. The grant money allows WRHS to provide uninsured and under-insured women in the service area with potentially life-saving mammography services, such as clinical breast exams, screening and diagnostic mammograms, ultrasounds and ultrasound guided needle biopsies.
This is the eighth consecutive year of funding for a program of this type at WRHS. In just the past three years, The Komen Foundation and WRHS have provided 896 services to 716 individuals and detected 10 breast cancers.
The program primarily serves women ages 40 to 64 who cannot afford mammography services and are not covered by commercial insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, or Arkansas BreastCare. Younger women may also qualify if their physician determines they have a significant clinical risk or family history of breast cancer. Those who cannot afford an office visit to a family physician for a mammogram may qualify for an office visit at no cost. Women who wish to participate in this project must first make an appointment with a personal primary care physician for a clinical breast exam and obtain a physician’s order for a mammogram.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to, once again, provide the women throughout our area who may not otherwise afford it with the ability to get necessary breast health services,” said Dana Thomas, WRHS Grants Project Manager.
This year marks the 20th Arkansas Komen for the Cure has awarded grants to healthcare institutions around the state to provide education, breast care services, and conduct clinic research to fight breast cancer. These funds are predominantly raised through the Race for the Cure®. This year a total of $1,006,737 was awarded.
“We are delighted by the amount we were able to issue in grants this year,” said Arkansas Affiliate Executive Director Sherrye McBryde. “It is directly due to the hard work of our volunteers and the generosity of our supporters. Additionally, $340,000 has been used for breast cancer research to help find the cure.”
The American Cancer Society recommends clinical breast exams at least every three years for all women in their 20s and 30s and yearly exams for women ages 40 and older. Women interested in taking advantage of free mammograms provided by WRHS and Komen are encouraged to contact Thomas at 870-262-1035 or dthomas2@wrmc.com to see if they qualify.

The new Varian TrueBeam Linear Accelerator is up and running at the White River Medical Center (WRMC) Cancer Care Center. The linear accelerator delivers radiation during cancer treatment. It is most often used in treatment of head and neck, breast, lung and prostate cancer.
The state-of-the-art TrueBeam Linear Accelerator is the centerpiece of a $3M upgrade that also includes upgrades to computers and software used for treatment planning. It offers many advantages to cancer patients; the most important, perhaps, being precision. A major aspect of the machine is the image guided radiotherapy, which provides
Radiation Therapists and Oncologists with a detailed digital image that allows them to pinpoint the exact location of the area being treated. The new equipment also allows the treatment team more control over the shape of the radiation beam and the dose of radiation delivered to the affected area.
“The linear accelerator captures images in a way that we weren’t able to do before,” said John Allgood, MD, WRMC Cancer Care Center Radiation Oncologist. “We can make changes in position in increments as small as a millimeter (3/64”) for some patients.”
This precision provides more effective treatment to the targeted area, while avoiding the healthy tissues that surround it.
Along with the installation of the new equipment came a complete remodel for the Radiation Therapy Suite.
“The linear accelerator is large, and can be very intimidating. The suite has been remodeled to make a more calming, relaxing atmosphere,” said Jami Smotherman, Tumor Registrar at the WRMC Cancer Care Center. “We even have the capability to connect our patients’ iphones or ipods to a speaker so they can listen to their favorite music while they are getting treatment.”
Nina Allen of Tuckerman was the first patient to use the TrueBeam Linear Accelerator. She admits that she appreciates the fact that it doesn’t affect the way she feels at all. “I’ve had a few treatments now in the new machine, and each time I feel the same coming out as I did going in. It’s very comfortable and quick,” she says. “I come to Batesville for everything health-related, so it’s nice to be able to get this kind of treatment here.”
The WRMC Cancer Care Center is located at 525 Virginia Drive. For more information, call (870) 262-6200. Related images found in June issue of Eye On Independence FACES!