The West Valley Hospital Foundation made its largest donation ever, $67,000, to West Valley Hospital in support of its mammography program.

The grant will enable the hospital to purchase a mammography read station, commonly used by high-volume imaging centers, enabling better efficiency of exams being read and more accurate readings.

“We currently have top-of-the-line imaging equipment, but this puts us over the top,” said Kevin Wright, imaging supervisor. “The best way to explain it is to imagine you have computer files open on two computers one on each side of the room and you need to compare files. With this system, the radiologist can put previous year’s digital images right next to the current image with hot spots already zoomed in on both. The capabilities of a read station designed specifically for mammograms will make imaging studies more powerful and at the fingertips of the radiologist.”

The mammography read station will provide additional computer-aided detection of suspicious areas in an image.  While it does not replace the evaluation of a skilled radiologist, it does alert a radiologist to areas that may need more attention and zooms to layers of an image that may need further analysis.

“Patients will not notice a difference when they come in for a mammogram,” said Wright. “But they will benefit from their radiologist having more powerful technology to give them the best information about their breast health.”

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Wright recommends women receive annual mammograms starting at age 40.

The West Valley Hospital Foundation supports the local community through other projects such as funding screening mammograms for patients in financial need, providing college scholarships for students pursuing careers in health care, sponsoring the Connections Van patient transportation program and purchasing medical equipment for the hospital.

Salem Health is comprised of Salem Hospital, West Valley Hospital, Willamette Health Partners and other affiliated health care organizations offering exceptional care to people in and around Oregon’s mid-Willamette Valley. Visit us at salemhealth.org and facebook.com/salemhealth; follow us on Twitter: @salemhealth; and view us at youtube.com/salemhealth.