Company News Room

As of June 2009, asymptomatic patients can have this potentially life-saving exam right here in Alaska

 

Screening ultrasounds differ from diagnostic ultrasounds in that screening ultrasounds identify the presence of disease (not the extent of the disease) in the abdominal aorta, carotids and leg arteries.  An estimated 20 to 30 million Americans are at risk for various vascular diseases, including stroke, peripheral arterial disease (PAD), carotid artery disease and aortic aneurysms. And according to the AVA, vascular disease outside the heart causes almost as much death and disability as heart disease, and more than any cancer.  A "package" of three screening tests is available for patients that includes:

Abdominal Aorta Vascular Ultrasound screens for Aortic Aneurysm. Aortic aneurysm is a weakening in the wall of the aorta, which is the main artery in the chest and abdomen. This weakening can cause the artery to rupture causing possible death. Often there are no signs or symptoms of an aortic aneurysm until it ruptures. Risk factors for aortic aneurysms are: over age 60; family history of Aortic Aneurysms; smoking; high blood pressure; and more common in men than women.

Carotid Vascular Ultrasound looks at the arteries in the neck for Carotid Artery Disease. Carotid Artery Disease occurs when the carotid arteries, the main blood vessels that take blood to the brain, develop a buildup of plaque caused by hardening of the arteries. When this build up becomes severe it can cause a stroke. Risk factors for strokes are: high blood pressure; diabetes; smoking; high cholesterol, family history of stroke; and irregular heartbeat, particularly atrial fibrillation.

Leg Vascular Ultrasound looks for Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD). PAD is a condition in which plaque builds up along the walls of the arteries that carry blood to the arms and legs affecting blood circulation. People with PAD are three times more likely to die of a heart attack or stroke than those without PAD. Risk factors for PAD are: high blood pressure; diabetes, smoking, high cholesterol, family history of serious vascular problems; and more common in men than women.

To schedule this screening test, call 212-3151 during our normal scheduling hours, 7 a.m. - 6 p.m., Mon. - Fri.  Please send us a written order with "vascular screening ultrasound" as the reason, and we'll send the results to you.  The test is not typically covered by the patient's insurance, and would be a "self pay" charge of about $325.00.

Want to know more?  Call, click or visit today.  We offer this exam in our Anchorage Imaging Center.

Many thanks to the generous patrons and employees of CARRS/Safeway employees across Southcentral Alaska who gave to make this year's Free Breast Cancer Screening possible May 11-15, 2009.

Once again, through funds donated by CARRS/Safeway, and with a veritable army of volunteers from the Providence Cancer Center, Providence Imaging Center and around the community, this year's event was a tremendous success.  More than 180 specially qualified women received services from volunteer healthcare providers, including a clinical breast exam and screening mammography, over the five day period.  These women qualified for the services because they were either uninsured or underinsured.

Volunteers for this event helped once again with patient check in, as well as assisting the women to change into comfortable attire for the exam.  A comprehensive health history was completed for each patient, and then a volunteer healthcare provider (both MDs and ANPs) performed a clinical breast exam.  Next followed a digital screening mammogram.  Results were sent both to the patient and her provider, with recommendations for any additional imaging.

We'd like to once again thank the many volunteers who gave up their evening for one or several days in order to make this event possible.  We'll see you next spring!

 

What is 34 feet long, pink and white, and can sometimes be seen on the Alaska Marine Highway?  Providence Imaging Center's Mobile Digital Mammography Coach! The coach turns 3 years old in April and is busier than ever, bringing the latest breast cancer screening technology all over Southcentral Alaska.

In May, the coach will travel to the communities of Cordova, Valdez and Glennallen to provide screening mammography. Women in these communities would otherwise have to travel to Anchorage for their mammograms. Last spring, almost 140 women were screened. This will be the fifth time the coach has made this journey, and it is all carefully coordinated to ensure that things go smoothly. 

First, our mobile coordinator calculates a preliminary date to ensure that it has been at least a year since our last spring visit. This is to make sure that both screening and insurance criteria are met for these patients. The next step is to carefully check the ferry schedule to see which dates are available for transporting the coach. Then she compares that with the PIC schedule to make sure a mobile technologist is available for the journey.

Finally, she contacts the sites themselves to verify that the days and times are good for the community.

The technologist going this year is Barbara DeLongchamp RT (R)(M), who will be traveling for a solid week. She is driver, technologist and an ambassador to the communities she visits all wrapped into one.

"Driving the coach through the Whittier Tunnel is interesting. Sometimes it feels like the top of the vehicle is going to scrape against the rock ceiling. And maneuvering the coach onto the ferry requires a little outside help," quipped Barbara.

This year, the first stop will be Ilanka Community Health Center in Cordova, set for May 18-19.  Women who are interested contact us to pre-schedule their test, ensuring that they won't have to wait. Communication is a bit tricky in this part of the world, as cell phones often don't work. Updates on the day's schedule are faxed to the clinic, and the mammography technologist enters the pertinent information into the mammography equipment's computer.

Next stop, Providence Valdez Medical Center. The coach will travel by ferry again and see many more women over the next two and a half days. Many volunteers help to make sure things run smoothly in Valdez. Finally, Barbara will drive the coach about 70 miles over Thompson Pass to Cross Road Medical Center in Glennallen. With this site done, it's a mere 155 miles back to Anchorage, where the images will be uploaded for the radiologist to read, and the journey will be complete.

 

Our bodies depend on us - and sometimes we need a reminder to take care of them before something goes wrong.

Women who are age 40 and older and have financial need are eligible for a free mammogram at the Providence breast cancer screening in May. Pass this message along to your friends and family.

Eligibility:
- Women who do not have insurance
- Women who have insurance that doesn't cover a mammogram
- Women who have a high insurance deductible

When: May 11-14, 2009, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Providence Imaging Center
How: By appointment only. Space is limited. Call 212-6165 or 888-674-5465

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and throughout the month CARRS/Safeway will host the Providence Imaging Center Mobile Mammography Coach at several of their Anchorage locations - Abbott, Aurora Village, Northway Mall, Sears and Muldoon.

 

Saturday, October 7,   9 a.m. - 5 p.m. , at CARRS Abbott

Monday, October 9,     9 a.m. - 5 p.m., at CARRS Aurora

Saturday, October 14, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., at CARRS Northway

Friday, October 27, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., at CARRS Sears

Monday, October 30,   9 a.m. - 5 p.m., at CARRS Muldoon

PIC's Digital Mobile Mammography screening is applicable if you are a woman age 40 years or older without specific breast concerns.  Screening mammography is NOT applicable if:

• You are pregnant or have breastfed within the last year
• You have symptoms such as a dominant lump/mass/lesion or nipple discharge that is clear or bloody
• You have a personal history of breast cancer
• You have had a stereo or ultrasound-guided biopsy in the past year
• You are due for special follow-up for a recent abnormal mammogram

Please note that we need the name of your healthcare provider to send the results to.  If you do not have a healthcare provider, call the Providence Physician Referral line at (907) 212-4900.

Call us at 212-3151 today to set up your appointment at one of these sites. Special grant funding is available for uninsured or underinsured women.

CARRS/Safeway and Providence Imaging Center:  Partnering together because early detection saves lives.

The latest medical advancement in the fight against breast cancer in Alaska will be unveiled at a ceremony at the Abbott Loop Carrs/Safeway Store at 1:00 pm on Thursday, May 4, 2006. Thanks to generous gifts from the customers and employees at Carrs/Safeway stores throughout the state, Providence has replaced its mobile mammography van with a 34-foot mobile medical coach, equipped with the latest digital imaging technology. Musher and breast cancer survivor Dee Dee Jonrowe will be on hand with Providence Chief Executive Al Parrish and Carrs/Safeway Director of Public Affairs Cherie Myers to celebrate this milestone.

The purchase of the $250,000 vehicle was made possible through a collaboration of Carrs/Safeway, Providence Alaska Foundation (PAF), Providence Imaging Center (PIC) and The Cancer Center at Providence Alaska Medical Center. Since 2003, Carrs/Safeway has raised more than $330,000 statewide for breast cancer. Approximately half of that has paid for free mammograms for uninsured and underinsured women in Alaska and the rest for funding the purchase of the mobile medical coach. That, combined with $85,000 in other donations to PAF, covered the entire cost of the coach. "Only because of the amazing generosity of Alaskans, this remarkable piece of equipment will soon be on the road. Carrs/Safeway has made a commitment to advance breast cancer programs in our state, and their customers and employees responded with a tremendous show of support. Those efforts, combined with many other donations made to our Foundation will make all the difference for the women of Alaska," said PAF President Susan Ruddy.

In order to upgrade to digital equipment, PIC invested an additional $326,000. The new equipment will allow women at the mobile clinics to receive the same high-quality image that women who come to their facility in Anchorage receive. "It is a great example of how, working together, we are able to provide the best care possible," said PIC Director Laura McDonough.

Prior to the arrival of the medical coach, the imaging equipment was transported from location to location by cargo van. In the past, sites had to be equipped with a private room, a waiting area and power to run the mammography unit. Now, the coach itself will provide all the necessary space. From the waiting area in front of the vehicle to the screened changing area next to the mammography station and the built-in diesel generators, the coach is completely self contained.

Since 1996, PIC has provided mobile mammography to a service area extending from Talkeetna to the Kenai Peninsula as well as to several communities along Alaska's Marine Highway Ferry System. "The key to saving lives is early detection, and even more than the cost of getting an annual screening, the greatest challenge in Alaska is access," said PIC Medical Director Dr. Denise Farleigh. "Unlike any other state in the country, the number one cause of death in Alaska is cancer. There are many contributing factors, but clearly limited access to regular screenings and preventative care in our more remote communities plays a significant role," she said