PORT ANGELES — A donation of $375,000 from First Federal will help to fund the first hospital digital mammography machines on the North Olympic Peninsula.
The Olympic Medical Center machines will aid in early detection of breast cancer, said Bruce Skinner, OMC Foundation executive director.
He announced the donation to the OMC Board of Directors immediately after the board unanimously approved $1.626 million to replace the hospital’s five mammography machines with three digital versions.
“Quite honestly, we probably wouldn’t be making all of these announcements about digital mammography tonight if it wasn’t for this extremely generous donation,” Skinner said.
Breast cancer kills more Peninsula women than any other type of cancer, said Rhonda Curry, OMC assistant administrator for strategic marketing and communications.
“How can you argue with saving lives?” said Kendra Waggoner, First Federal community division officer.
“How can you argue with health and safety for our community?”
The donation, the largest received by the OMC Foundation, comes from First Federal’s community dividend program.
At present, the hospital closest to the Peninsula that offers digital mammography screening is in Bremerton, Skinner said.
Digital mammography machines are expected to be ready for use in September or October at the main hospital in Port Angeles, its satellite location in Sequim and the imaging center in Port Angeles, said Debra King, OMC director of diagnostic imaging.
Skinner said digital mammography offers more detailed imaging than its film counterpart.
Early detection
That aids early detection of breast cancer, which is key to treatment, Curry said.
If caught during the first stage, breast cancer can be treated in 90 percent of cases, she said. If found in the third stage, that figure drops below 50 percent.
That is why the hospital is going to aggressively promote its free digital mammograms for the uninsured, Skinner said.
Ten percent, or $37,500, of First Federal’s donation will fund digital mammogram tests for the uninsured, Skinner said.
Curry said the hospital has yet to calculate how much the digital mammography machines will cost per use.
Film mammography costs a patient $212, she said.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
