For Immediate Release

Contact:

Laura Blodgett

734-712-4536

Laura.Blodgett@stjoeshealth.org

March 9, 2018

Saint Joseph Mercy Health System announced the opening of a 2,670- square-foot comprehensive Breast Imaging Center at St. Joseph Mercy Brighton health center. The Breast Imaging Center brings advanced imaging services, including 3-D Screening and Diagnostic Mammography, that were not previously available locally in Brighton.

"The Breast Imaging Center is another example of how St. Joe's provides remarkable care to the community using the most advanced medical technology available," said John O'Malley, president of St. Joseph Mercy Livingston and St. Joseph Mercy Brighton health center. "Patients no longer need to travel to other communities for their images. A doctor can order tests right here in Brighton, and, if cancer is detected, we can expertly manage every aspect of the patient's treatment through survivorship."

In addition to 3-D Screening and Diagnostic Mammography, the new Breast Imaging Center offers Breast Ultrasound, Stereotactic (X-ray guided) Core Biopsy, Ultrasound guided Core Biopsy, Excisional Biopsy by a Surgeon, and Bone Density.

In coordination with the opening of the new Breast Imaging Center, the St. Joseph Mercy Brighton Cancer Center has invested in the radiation treatment of cancer by upgrading to a new Varian TrueBeam® linear accelerator (LINAC) machine. A LINAC delivers high energy radiation (x-rays) customized to a tumor’s shape and destroys cancer cells while sparing the surrounding healthy tissue. The new fully-integrated system offers image-guided radiotherapy and radiosurgery, and can treat cancer anywhere in the body where radiation treatment is indicated, including in the lung, breast, prostate and head and neck.

The new machine, which will replace an older unit in May, will mean that patients living in Brighton will have access to top-notch, comprehensive cancer care close to home. The upgraded LINAC complements other cancer services offered in Brighton, including infusion, access to more than 100 clinical trials, cancer-specific pastoral care, social work and genetic counseling .

The new Breast Imaging Center and the LINAC are part of Saint Joseph Mercy Health System's $41 million transformation investment into Livingston County.

These investments include:

• St. Joe's Brighton: A new 24/7 Short Stay Center with 18 private rooms and 6 private bays, a new operating room, expanded Specialty Center, new Joe's Java Café, expanded food options and gift shop, Emergency Department rapid treatment program and pediatric telemedicine technologies for the Emergency Department.
• St. Joe's Livingston: A new surgical suite with three advanced operating rooms, da Vinci® Si robotic surgery system, Sleep Disorder Center, Joe's Java Café, cafeteria and gift shop.

For more information or to schedule a mammogram, please call 734-712-1313.

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About Saint Joseph Mercy Health System

Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS) is a health care organization serving seven counties in southeast Michigan including Livingston, Washtenaw, Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Jackson, and Lenawee. It includes 537-bed St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, 443bed St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, 304-bed St. Mary Mercy Livonia, 136-bed St. Joseph Mercy Livingston in Howell, and 133-bed St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea. Combined, the five hospitals are licensed for 1,553 beds, have five outpatient health centers, six urgent care facilities, more than 25 specialty centers; employ more than 15,300 individuals and have a medical staff of nearly 2,700 physicians. SJMHS has annual operating revenues of about $2 billion and returns about $120 million to its communities annually through charity care and community benefit programs.

SJMHS is a member of Trinity Health, a leading Catholic health care system based in Livonia, Mich. Trinity Health operates in 22 states, employs about 131,000 colleagues, has annual operating revenues of $17.6 billion and assets of about $24.6 billion. Additionally, the organization returns almost $1 billion to its communities annually in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs.

For more information on health services offered at Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, please visit www.stjoeshealth.org.