Women's Services

Breast Health Services

If you are among the 210,000 American women who learn they have breast cancer this year, Lake Hospital System offers help -- and hope. Lake Hospital System designed its Breast Health Services program to educate patients, families and the community about breast health.

Lake Hospital System now offers a breast health coordinator, who helps patients understand the difficult decisions related to breast treatment and helps them navigate their health care experience. She provides assistance and emotional support to patients undergoing biopsies; newly diagnosed patients; and patients currently undergoing cancer treatments, such as surgery, reconstruction, chemotherapy and radiation. Teaming up with the patient's primary care physician, gynecologist, radiologist, surgeon, oncologist, radiation oncologist and plastic and reconstructive surgeon, the breast health coordinator becomes a patient's advocate and acts as a liaison between the patient and physicians. She provides patients with a personal contact for support, information and guidance throughout their ordeal.

Meet our Breast Health Coordinator

Kim Mamrack, RN, is Lake Hospital System's breast health coordinator. She works with patients with breast health concerns and with breast cancer patients at all Lake Hospital System facilities. She earned her nursing degree from St. Vincent Charity School of Nursing and earned her certification as a breast health navigator from EduCARE. Kim can be reached at 440-205-5738 or via e-mail at kim.mamrack@LHS.net.

Early Detection is Your Best Defense

Your best defense against breast cancer is early detection. Schedule mammograms in accordance with the guidelines for your age and doctor’s recommendations. Have your physician or nurse practitioner perform a clinical breast exam once a year. And perform monthly breast self-exams.

Lake Hospital System offers a free waterproof “shower card” that explains breast self-exam (BSE), step-by-step. Click here to request a free shower card.

When Should You Have a Mammogram?

Healthy women between ages 35 and 39 should have a baseline mammogram for comparison with future mammograms.
Women age 40 and over should have a regular mammogram every one to two years with or without a clinical breast exam.
Women age 75 and over should discuss mammography with their physicians.

Digital Mammography at Lake Hospital System

LakeWest Hospital is the only hospital in Lake and Geauga counties to acquire digital mammography equipment. Digital mammography has been found to be diagnostically superior for pre- and peri-menopausal women. It also allows us to perform a mammogram faster without sacrificing image quality. That means we can service more patients each day, reducing the time that a woman has to wait to schedule her mammogram.

Where Should You Have Your Mammogram?

Be sure to choose an accredited facility. Lake Hospital System offers mammography at five convenient sites.* Some sites are open evenings and Saturdays. Pick the location that's best for you:

LakeWest Hospital 36000 Euclid Avenue Willoughby, Ohio 44094
LakeEast Hospital 10 East Washington Street Painesville, Ohio 44077
Mentor Medical Campus 9485 Mentor Avenue Mentor, Ohio 44060
Madison Medical Campus 6270 North Ridge Road Madison, Ohio 44057
Chardon Medical Campus, 510 Fifth Avenue, Chardon, Ohio 44024

*All five facilities are accredited by the American College of Radiology and have certificates of operation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Schedule Your Mammogram Today! Call Centralized Scheduling at 1-866-652-5253. You'll need a physician's order to schedule a mammogram. If you don't have a doctor, call the Best of Health Line at 440-953-6000 or 1-800-454-9800.

If you have any questions about mammography or breast cancer, or if you would like a physician referral, call the Best of Health Line at 440-953-6000 or 1-800-454-9800.

Preparation Tips for Your Mammogram

It is best to schedule your mammogram at the end of your monthly period when the breasts are least filled with fluid and are not tender.
If you have had a mammogram that was very painful, you may want to cut out caffeine for several days prior to your mammogram. You may also want to take ibuprofen or Motrin several days prior to the exam if you have no restrictions on taking these drugs.
On the day of your mammogram do not wear any deodorant, body powders or perfume. Take your deodorant in your purse and apply it after the exam.
It is helpful to wear comfortable clothing, possibly a skirt or pants, that will allow you to undress from the waist up.

What if I Find a Lump? Is it Cancer?

While you should be concerned about finding a breast lump, keep in mind that most lumps are not cancerous.

If you need a biopsy of a breast lump, Lake Hospital System offers Image-Guided Core Breast Biopsy, one of the newest ways to diagnose a breast abnormality. Unlike traditional open surgical breast biopsies, this outpatient procedure involves taking a small sample of breast tissue using ultrasound- or stereotactic-guided technology without the need for incisions or general anesthesia. Image-Guided Core Breast Biopsy is appropriate for most patients whose mammograms detect an abnormality.

Image-Guided Core Breast Biopsy is available at the Mentor Medical Campus.