Now open is the beautifully renovated Women’s Health Services area at LifeCare Medical Center and already patients are responding with great enthusiasm.    The six month construction project has transformed this part of the hospital into a private, welcoming space designed with women in mind.    Indirect lighting, soft music, warm colors, and rooms with solid wood doors and accents were all selected to make this a relaxing and welcoming environment, says Shar Peterson, Director of Imaging at LifeCare Medical Center.    “But what’s especially appealing is that everything is located in one place,” she says.

Members of the LifeCare Imaging department include from left to right (front row): Jenna Phelps, Katie Hoey, Lisa Peterson. Middle row: Danielle Byfuglien, Mary Anderson, Imaging Director Shar Peterson, Ellen Falk. Back row: Brooke Johnson, Dianne Erickson, Sandie Pfeiffer, and Radiologist Daniel Cournyea, MD.

   Until recently, a woman who needed a mammogram and ultrasound would have to crisscross the hospital or clinic to receive each service.
   “Now, with the completion of the Women’s Health Services area, imaging and several other procedures can be completed in one area with privacy and comfortable surroundings,” she says.
   This includes breast exams, paps, and bone density scans which are used to detect early signs of osteoporosis.    “This new space accommodates every woman from our seniors to the busy working mom who may need to schedule several appointments for one visit,” she says. 

Pregnancy and Ultrasound    The new Women’s Health Services area is also home to prenatal testing, specifically ultrasound imaging during pregnancy.    New equipment allows LifeCare staff the ability to capture three-dimensional images during an ultrasound.    “It’s really a thrill for a patient when she sees her unborn baby in 3-D,” says LifeCare sonographer Lisa Peterson. “The pictures are so much clearer than the traditional two-dimensional image, which also makes it better for us when it’s time to analyze the images we’ve recorded.”

New 3-D imaging equipment at the LifeCare Women’s Health area can produce clearer, sharper pictures such as this ultrasound image.

Growing an Idea
   The process of creating a Women’s Health Services area at the hospital dates back to the 1980s and its first dedicated mammography unit.
   Routine screenings and annual women’s exams at LifeCare began in 1986 and have continually grown in scope and service since that time.
   Nurses and other imaging technologists became part of the team as the number of services grew to include ultrasound, bone mineral density testing (DEXA), physical breast exams, and pap tests.
   “The idea behind the new Women’s Health Services area is to provide a private space that is self-contained and set up especially for women’s health care,” explains Dr. Rene Fredstrom, Medical Director of Women’s Health at LifeCare.
   The area also includes an education room, most frequently used for screening clinics.
   “A patient will start in this room,” she explains. “Here the patient will receive informational materials, view a video on self exam techniques, touch several artificial models to understand how a lump would feel, and then visit with volunteers for more information. 

Where Credit is Due
   The new Women’s Health Services area became a reality thanks to LifeCare’s dedicated Imaging Department, led by director Shar Peterson.
   Staff provided input for the design and finishings to help create a welcoming environment for patients.
   “The area turned out just as we hoped,” says Sue Lisell, Senior Leader of Patient Services. “We were trying to be proactive in meeting the needs of women in our community and felt this was one way we could do that. We will look to those patients for guidance and feedback for options of further expansion of this department.”
   The Women’s Health Services team consists of Dr. Rene Fredstrom; LifeCare CEO Keith Okeson; Senior Leaders Sue Lisell and Shannon Carlson; Roxanne Fabian, Shar Peterson, and Jessica Kuznia; and Altru representative Barb Erickson.
   The group meets on a regular basis to look at further enhancement of Women’s Health Services.
   Also deserving credit is Michelle Franek, FNP, who performs cervical exams and pap tests during monthly screening clinics.
   During breast screening clinics, educational materials are given to every woman who attends.

Many of these educational materials have been provided to LifeCare courtesy of a grant through the Think Pink Fund, a part of the LifeCare Health Care Foundation.    The hospital’s “Think Pink” advertising campaign, which highlighted four of LifeCare’s mammogram technologists, also played a significant role in promoting women’s health throughout the past year.    The campaign, which featured LifeCare’s Brooke Johnson, Mary Anderson, Dianne Erickson, and Sandie Pfeiffer, reminds women over the age of 40 to receive annual mammograms.    “Remember, the best protection is early detection,” Peterson says.

The new Women’s Health area at LifeCare was designed to create a warm, inviting atmosphere to make procedures such as mammograms as relaxing as possible.

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   To schedule your next women’s health appointment, call LifeCare’s Imaging department at (218) 463-4753.

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Bone density testing moves to new Women’s Health area

Statistics indicate an estimated 10 million Americans suffer from osteoporosis. Another 18 million have decreased bone mass or osteopenia. Testing for these conditions is done using Bone Densitometry, also referred to as a DEXA (Dual Energy X-ray Absorption) test.    Among the equipment now in place in the new Women’s Health area at LifeCare Medical Center is a DEXA machine that measures bone density. DEXA was first offered as a mobile service in 1993. Last September, DEXA equipment was purchased and installed in-house to better serve LifeCare patients. The equipment is used to test bone density on patients of nearly any age, although most patients are women over age 65.    Traditionally considered a women’s condition, osteoporosis can occur in men. Likewise, individuals going through cancer treatment may also require testing since some cancer treatments can lead to bone deterioration.    “Ultimately a physician determines who should be scanned based on age and other risk factors,” says LifeCare DEXA Technologist Jenna Phelps.    The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends all women over the age of 65 have a bone density scan.

Bone density testing is now conducted in the new Women’s Health area at LifeCare.