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| Vol. 21, No. 20 |
| November 1, 1999 |
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Women Provide Input for Design of New Breast Care Center What do patients want in a breast care facility? When planning the new Breast Care Center at Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital, the organizers went straight to the source, gathering input from hundreds of women with breast cancer. What they heard fell into three categories: women wanted quick information; they wanted to be part of the decision-making process; and they wanted their emotional, psychological and spiritual needs addressed. The organizers set out to create a "one-stop" location, offering a wide range of services for breast care needs with these issues in mind.
What resulted is a 21,000-square-foot facility housed on the 7th floor of Smith Tower, across the street from The Methodist Hospital. "We were given an opportunity to construct what we thought was the optimal breast care center," said Dr. Richard Elledge, the center's medical director, during a tour of the new facility. "We built the center by listening to women and physicians who have treated them." Merry Templeton remembers her feelings of anxiety when she was diagnosed with breast cancer nearly 20 years ago. She welcomes the center's mission of making the experience as easy as possible for the patient. After undergoing a mastectomy followed by radiation and chemotherapy, Templeton is now a breast cancer survivor and helps other women through the American Cancer Society's Reach to Recovery program. From the serene lobby area, the new Breast Care Center branches into two parts. One side of the center is devoted to screening, diagnosis and prevention services, and includes an imaging suite with mammography and ultrasound units, a stereotactic needle biopsy unit, an outpatient surgical suite and patient exam rooms. The other section of the center addresses the needs of those women with breast disease, and includes a chemotherapy suite, exam rooms, a pharmacy, blood test laboratory, counseling rooms and a patient education library. An example of how suggestions from women translated into the design of the center: organizers heard from the women that they did not like the experience of undressing for a mammogram in one area and then walking through the clinic in a gown to the exam suite. This need was accommodated in the construction of the center by attaching a dressing area to each mammography suite, allowing women the privacy they need. A care coordinator will be assigned to each patient when they arrive at the center, providing support for the patients throughout their experience. Patients will also have access to genetic testing and counseling, psychological, nutritional and social support services. The commitment to the patient's needs are even reflected in the color of the carpet (soft blues and greens offer a tranquil feeling) and the furniture selected (such as the large recliners to enhance comfort in the chemotherapy suite.) The center is affiliated with The Breast Center at Baylor, where Dr. C. Kent Osborne and his team are conducting clinical and basic research. Patients of The Breast Care Center will have an opportunity to participate in clinical trials for the diagnosis and treatment of breast disease. - KRISTINA VAN ARSDEL Jill Eikenberry and husband Michael Tucker, best known for their roles on the hit television show L.A. Law, shared their personal story about the fight against breast cancer during a reception to mark the opening of the Breast Care Center. The year was 1986 and Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker had just landed dual roles on the TV hit L.A. Law. They decided to celebrate with a Caribbean vacation. It, however, all came to a screeching halt the day they returned from vacation. Eikenberry, while driving, unintentionally brushed her breast and discovered a lump. Her husband also had felt the lump while on vacation, but didn't say anything. Fortunately, Eikenberry had just received a mammogram before leaving for vacation. Her physician had indeed also found the same suspicious lump, but chose not to ruin the couple's vacation. "I never checked myself before. I didn't do breast self-exams monthly. Back then I simply didn't know anyone who had survived breast cancer. I convinced myself it was a benign cyst," said Eikenberry. "I vaguely knew someone with breast cancer, a neighbor, and she died." Tucker added, "This was our first moment of denial and it certainly was not to be our last." Eikenberry was diagnosed with breast cancer and urged to undergo a mastectomy. "I didn't have the courage then to ask the right questions," the actress said. "I went home in despair and thought it was the end." Eikenberry, not planning to share the devastating news with anyone, attended a screening for a film she recently completed. She ran into a friend, Cynthia Nixon, who immediately knew something was wrong. Eikenberry shared the whole story right there in the lobby. "Cynthia's mother took me into the bathroom, pulled up her blouse and showed me a little scar on her breast. She said `this is all I have left to remind me of my fight with cancer'." "Because of a stranger and a simple act of kindness, I realized I might not die," Eikenberry said. With newly gained confidence, she got a second opinion and ended up having a lumpectomy. After undergoing successful radiation treatment, Eikenberry decided to go public with her story. She co-produced Destined to Live, an NBC documentary that dealt with the emotional aspects of breast cancer. Fellow breast cancer survivors Nancy Reagan and Gloria Steinhem, along with 100 other women, participated. With the project, Eikenberry hoped women with breast cancer would become less afraid. "I wanted them to know they don't have to feel alone. I think it's important for women with breast cancer to find a buddy to hold your hand." - GINA JOHNSON
©2006 Texas Medical Center E-Mail: tmc-info@tmc.edu URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/11_01_99/page_19.html |
