Williamson Medical Center recently announced an expansion and renovation of its Breast Health Center that serves thousands of patients each year. The Breast Health Center, nationally recognized as a center of excellence, has also been renamed The Turner-Dugas Breast Health Center at Williamson Medical Center to honor a generous donor and cancer survivor who received treatment there.
Local leaders, physicians, trustees and friends recently joined Mr. Cal Turner, Jr. and Turner’s sister Laura Dugas, for the unveiling of the expanded center now named in their honor. Turner and Dugas lost their mother to breast cancer in 1988.
Turner said it was an easy decision to help with the hospital’s capital campaign. “We had to support the important work the Breast Health Center is doing,” he said.
“The Turner-Dugas Breast Health Center offers a highly-advanced program for diagnosing and treating virtually any breast health issue,” said Donald Webb, chief executive officer at Williamson Medical Center. “We offer patients the most advanced breast imaging technology available with an expert staff who offer compassionate, convenient care with rapid results. Our staff and physicians are committed to reducing patient anxiety and ensuring patients obtain information and answers as quickly as possible, often the same day.”
“We also offer a Breast Health Navigator program that provides specialized nurses to support our breast cancer patients with warmth and consistency throughout treatment and recovery,” he said.
“I believe women receive the best possible care at The Turner-Dugas Breast Health Center not only because of the experience, expertise and technology we offer,” said Dr. Rebecca Baskin, breast surgeon and breast cancer survivor. “But the real differentiator, I believe, is the care, compassion and understanding we offer throughout a patient’s cancer journey.”
The Breast Health Center and breast health diagnostic imaging expansion included the purchase of new sophisticated three- dimensional tomography and upgrades to existing technology to provide clearer, more detailed images for precise diagnosis and stereotactic breast biopsies. The addition of three-dimensional tomography capability combined with a recently acquired 3.0 Tesla MRI and other advanced diagnostic technology allows patients to receive the full scope of breast imaging exams in one location.
The Turner-Dugas Breast Health Center is conveniently located across the hall from the Williamson Medical Center Outpatient Imaging Center, providing breast health patients with an exceptionally seamless experience for screening, diagnostic and treatment services.
Accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR) as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence, the Outpatient Imaging Center offers breast health patients:
• GeniusTM3D MammographyTM with SmartCurveTM system for added comfort
• Upright Stereotactic Breast Biopsy, providing a more
comfortable biopsy experience
• Breast Ultrasound
• Ultrasound-Guided Breast Biopsy
• 3.0 Tesla, Wide Bore MRI to include MRI Guided Breast Biopsy
The Breast Health Center itself has been expanded by 1, 600 square feet to provide additional space for examinations, one- on-one breast health navigation education and counseling, and genetic and dietary counseling.
Education and early detection are critically important in finding breast cancer early when it is most treatable, she said.
The Turner-Dugas Breast Health Center in Franklin is recognized nationally as a center of excellence. It is fully accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), and has also received the 2019 Women’s Choice Award as one of America’s Best Breast Centers for the fourth year in a row.
