National Breast Center Accreditation Granted
October 07, 2011
Panama City, FL – Gulf Coast Medical Center has been granted a three-year/Full accreditation designation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a program administered by the American College of Surgeons. Accreditation by the NAPBC is only given to those centers that have voluntarily committed to provide the highest level of quality breast care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance.
Gulf Coast Medical Center President and CEO Brian Baumgardner announced, “The breast center accreditation is another example of our hospital’s commitment to women’s health, especially considering our recent affiliation with the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Cancer Care Network. Our goal is to have women think of Gulf Coast Medical Center first when they think of women’s health care. From labor and delivery to all of the stages of a woman’s life, we provide the most comprehensive and highest quality women’s services in our area.” The hospital is also the region’s only recipient of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer Outstanding Achievement Award.
During the survey process, Gulf Coast Medical Center demonstrated compliance with standards established by the NAPBC for treating women who are diagnosed with the full spectrum of breast disease. The standards include proficiency in the areas of: center leadership, clinical management, research, community outreach, professional education, and quality improvement. A breast center that achieves NAPBC accreditation has demonstrated a firm commitment to offer its patients every significant advantage in their battle against breast disease.
The hospital will celebrate the accreditation at a Wear Your Pink Bra Fashion Show, Friday, October 7 at 2:00 pm in the hospital’s cafeteria. Male physicians and employees will model the prink bras that were created by teams throughout the hospital.
Gulf Coast Medical Center Women’s Health Nurse Navigator Kay Hankins, RN, organized the fashion show and said, “The event is a fun way for us to remind women the importance of breast health, especially regular mammograms. We also want to remind husbands to encourage their wives regarding their overall health since women often overlook their own health while taking care of their families.
The NAPBC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to the improvement of the quality of care and monitoring of outcomes of patients with diseases of the breast. This mission is pursued through standard-setting, scientific validation, and patient and professional education. Its board membership includes professionals from 15 national organizations that reflect the full spectrum of breast care.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimated that there would be 192,370 patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in the United States in 20091. In addition, hundreds of thousands of women who will deal with benign breast disease this year will require medical evaluation for treatment options.
Receiving care at a NAPBC-accredited center ensures that a patient will have access to:
- Comprehensive care, including a full range of state-of-the-art services
- A multidisciplinary team approach to coordinate the best treatment options
- Information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options
And, most importantly,
- Quality breast care close to home.