The Breast Health Center at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center has received the prestigious accreditation of the American College of Surgeons, which recognizes programs that provide a full continuum of services in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.

This new recognition, coupled with last year’s Breast Imaging Center of Excellence distinction granted by the American College of Radiology, further distinguishes the Burbank hospital’s Breast Health Center.

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“The dual accreditation takes us to an even higher level,” said Judy Fauria, the hospital’s director of imaging services.  “Many breast centers don’t have even one of these distinctions.”

The accreditation, which followed a detailed survey of the Burbank center, affirms the Breast Health Center meets 27 program standards and 17 program components of care that collectively provide the most efficient and contemporary care available for patients diagnosed with diseases of the breast.

Dedicated to early diagnosis of breast cancer and equipped with the latest diagnostic equipment, the Providence Breast Center provides mammography, stereotactic breast biopsy, breast ultrasound and ultrasound-guided breast biopsy. Most patients are treated at the Roy and Patricia Disney Family Cancer Center, which opened in 2010 and offers the latest technology,    evidence-based integrative therapies, clinical trials, genetics and psychological counseling and lymphedema, fitness and appearance programs specially designed for breast cancer patients. Those programs also played a role in the breast center’s new accreditation.

“This scope of services shows our commitment to our patients. We offer a program with many important components, including clinical research and a multi-disciplinary approach to each case,” said Tamara Sutton, director of oncology services for Providence Saint Joseph. “This accreditation demonstrates that we meet a very high standard.”

Providence Saint Joseph physicians with various specialties review each case as a team, providing insight in radiology, pathology, oncology, radiation-oncology, surgery and other facets of care.

Laurie Anne Cleland, M.D., a diagnostic radiologist, is medical director of the Breast Health Center. Staff physicians participating in the program include Maurice Berkowitz, M.D., oncologist and hematologist; Jose Esteban, M.D., pathologist; Rex Hoffman, M.D., radiation-oncologist; and Philippe Quilici, surgeon. Sharon Adell, R.N., the clinical nurse coordinator, is the “glue” for the program. She serves as the nurse navigator for breast cancer patients, counseling them and guiding them through the diagnostics, treatment and recovery and survivorship phases of their cancer journeys.

The ACS National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers is a consortium of national professional organizations dedicated to the improvement of the quality of care and the monitoring of outcomes for patients with diseases of the breast.

The ACR, headquartered in Reston, Va., is a national organization serving more than 32,000 diagnostic/interventional radiologists, radiation oncologists, nuclear medicine physicians, and medical physicists with programs for focusing on the practice of medical imaging and radiation oncology, as well as the delivery of comprehensive healthcare services.