Breast Health Program

(PLANO, TEXAS Jan. 24, 2011) Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano is proud to offer a new and free breast health program to women throughout the community. The MammaCare® Breast Self Exam Class is designed to help women build confidence and skill in breast self examination. MammaCare® is the internationally recognized standard for breast examination. During this class, women will have the opportunity to practice breast self examination on lifelike breast models, allowing them to feel the difference between the texture of normal tissue and lumps. Women are encouraged to bring their mothers, sisters, aunts and friends.  

This free community classes will be offered monthly at morning and evening times with the first class taking place Friday, February 18 from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano in Education Rooms 3 and 4 on the Garden Level. Registration is required. To register, please call 1.800.4BAYLOR or visit BaylorHealth.com/PlanoEvents.  

The class will be led by Betsy Booth, RN, BSN, CBCN, CMS, certified MammaCare® specialist and oncology nurse navigator at Baylor Plano. As a certified MammaCare® specialist, Booth is authorized to teach MammaCare® to women and other health care professionals. Booth is one of only five certified MammaCare® specialists in the state of Texas.

“It is a pleasure to welcome Betsy to the MammaCare family,” said Dr. H.S. Pennypacker, president of the Mammatech Corporation and one of the original team of scientists who developed MammaCare®. “Betsy will make an important contribution to medical education and women’s health throughout Texas,” he added. 

MammaCare® began in 1974 was a research project supported by the National Cancer Institute. The original research goal was to develop a program to teach effective manual breast examination. The researchers created tactually accurate breast models with complex structures simulating the nodularity in a women’s breast. They then developed simulated lesions that feel very similar to the type of lumps surgeons consider suspicious. Finally, a training program was developed that is an effective and thorough way of examining breast tissue. 

This program involves using the pads of the middle three fingers, three levels of pressure, and an organized search pattern on breast models and on breast tissue.  MammaCare® techniques have been extensively studied and reported in medical journals. The consistent findings are that these techniques produce more thorough and sensitive manual breast examination. The clinical data confirm that MammaCare® techniques assist in finding the smallest meaningful changes in breast tissues.  

The MammaCare® Breast Self Exam Class is part of Baylor Plano’s cancer services program. The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) granted Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation to the cancer program at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano. In addition, accredited cancer programs are assigned an Accreditation Category that describes the services available at the facility. Baylor Plano is the only hospital in Collin County to be designated a Community Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Program. This level of accreditation means that a facility treats 650 or more cancer patients each year and provides a wide range of diagnostic and treatment services available on site. 

A facility receives a Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation following the inspection by a physician surveyor during which the facility must demonstrate a commendation level of performance with no deficiencies.  

Established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons, the CoC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving survival rates and quality of life for cancer patients through standard-setting, prevention, research, education and the monitoring of comprehensive, quality care.  Its membership includes Fellows of the American College of Surgeons and 42 national organizations that reflect the full spectrum of cancer care. 

Collin County residents have access to multidisciplinary and comprehensive cancer care at Baylor Plano as well as a wide range of services, including preventative screenings, access to genetic counseling and medical and radiation oncology. In addition, the hospital offers several support groups and seminars to assist current and former patients in connecting with other cancer patients. Baylor Plano also offers each patient access to an oncology nurse navigator. The nurse navigator assists the patient through their journey and helps them navigate their way through the many services and community resources available. To learn more about the cancer services offered at Baylor Plano visit www.BaylorHealth.com/PlanoCancer.