Keri Helmer and Joe Pickett of St. Luke Hospital spoke to Marion Kiwanis on Tuesday about the hospital’s new digital mammography equipment.
Helmer said the machine is the top of the line, and digital mammography makes it easier to read mammograms. She showed a film mammogram and a digital one from the same patient to show the differences in image quality.
“Digital is really becoming the new standard of care,” Helmer said.
St. Luke has done 500 to 550 mammograms a year in the recent past, but they expect to do more with the better equipment, because they won’t need to refer patients whose mammograms are difficult to read to other facilities.
Much of the cost of the machine was paid with donations from St. Luke Hospital Auxiliary and St. Luke Foundation.
St. Luke also started doing ultrasound in-house recently. Previously the hospital relied on a mobile service that was only available two half-days a week.
Interclub
Ten Kiwanians and three guests attended Hillsboro Kiwanis Club’s biscuits-and-gravy breakfast Saturday. Hillsboro Kiwanis estimated 350 people attended.
Kiwanians will go to Lindsborg on Saturday for that club’s pancake breakfast. Members will meet at 8:30 a.m. to make the trip.
McPherson and Emporia clubs also have events coming up.