Chilliwack and area Lions clubs, in partnership with Fraser Valley Health Care Foundation, are providing Chilliwack General Hospital with a suite of three state-of-the-art mammography machines.
This equipment will not merely update but greatly enhance the efficiency of a hospital mammography department currently serving an estimated 70,000+ people.
Dogwood Monarch Lions, Mount Cheam Lions Charitable Society, Chilliwack Lions Club, Steller’s Jay Lions, Agassiz-Harrison Lions, and Hope Lions have all teamed up to donate over $409,400 for the project. $129,800 of this was obtained through a grant from Lions Clubs International Foundation.
In Canada breast cancer kills an average of 15 women each day. Technologically advanced machines such as those purchased play a vital role in the early detection and treatment needed to reduce those numbers. Their machine-to-machine compatibilities enable them to all operate in the same vicinity, an improvement over older departmental set-ups that speeds the process and increases the number of daily procedures.
They are also designed to be less physically intrusive to patients than older devices. Combined with improved accuracy of diagnoses (obtained through enhanced stereographic imaging) and an effective tissue retrieval system, these units provide a seamless and efficient transition from screening to diagnosis to biopsy.
“We as Lions saw this project as an opportunity to make both an immediate and lasting impact on the community” said project chair Bruce Bennewith. “Machines such as these are the envy of any hospital mammography department and should serve Chilliwack and its rising population well for many years to come.”