While some of the services provided in the newly opened Madeline Fiadini Lo Re Women’s Center existed before, peppered through the operational campus of Bayonne Medical Center, setting them up in one place and increasing the number of related services will help women feel more comfortable in seeking tests and potential treatment to what might be life-threatening diseases.
Although operating for some time, the center was official dedicated on Oct. 3, named in honor of local businesswoman and philanthropist Madeline Fiadini Lo Re.
Administrators at BMC called it “the most comprehensive facility in Hudson County… with a full spectrum of targeted care under one roof.”
With upgrades to existing equipment and the purchase of new equipment, the center gives doctors and patients access to some of the most sophisticated imaging and treatment technology available in the treatment of women’s health issues.
Director Walter Halma said some of the services existed prior to the center in the hospital radiology department, but that bringing the services to the Women’s Center they allow women to feel more comfortable during testing and treatment in a secluded area.
But the center isn’t merely a consolidation of previously existing services, but an increase in services geared towards women’s needs.
Officials say a need exists since BMC performs almost 14,000 mammograms per year, 8,000 breast ultrasounds, and other tests and procedures.
The center, officials said, streamlines the process for a woman to get the test she needs in a timely fashion and produces quicker results that helps reduces the anxiety level that comes from waiting to know if there is a problem or not.
Early diagnoses will not only allow medical treatment at an earlier time, but will also provide us with an opportunity to educate those at risk. Education is a vital component of prevention and through education, BMC will allow individuals to modify their own habits to prevent any maladies from escalating, allowing them to live long and healthier lives.
The state-of-the-art equipment located within the Women’s Center will also enhance patients’ experience. A further benefit is that patients will not have to travel between several disparate sites to receive the care they require. This will be especially important to the large local population of elderly in Bayonne who often prefer to remain in an area where they can travel easily and safely.
Services include a diagnostic Radiology unit, digital Mammography, advanced ultrasound and bone density study areas.
The new equipment allows for more accurate test results than in the past, and gives doctors more options in treating problems when they are detected early. Some of the detection equipment uses new digital technology that allows for greater accuracy in detecting certain potential abnormalities.
While the center is geared towards helping to detect possible breast cancer – particularly with its use of stereoscopic breast biopsy, the facility detects and allows doctors to treat other problems women may face. Equipment is now designed to handle large and small women, so that there is less of a chance of error when taking readings.
Advanced treatment for fibroids, for instance, gives doctors options other than surgery or hormone therapies, both of which had side effects to women’s health in the past.
“These are non evasive procedures that allow us to stop the blood supply to the growth,” said Stephanie Giblin, vice president of Patient Care Services.
“Bayonne Medical Center believes that the Madeline Fiadini Lo Re Women’s Center will play an important role in continuing BMC’s success of its mission to provide its community with excellent medical service,” said Herman Brockman, BMC’s Chairman of the Board. “It is through the collective vision and efforts of Bayonne Medical Center, the Bayonne Medical Center Foundation and the generous support of businesses and individuals, championed by Madeline Lo Re, who help make programs such as this available within our community.”
The center is currently open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and alternate Saturdays 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“We’re hoping to open the facility every Saturday in the future,” Giblin said.