Throughout the month of October, in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we proudly honor the incredible strength of breast cancer survivors and those who continue to fight this disease today. You are true warriors, and we are deeply honored to call you our friends and members of this community.

We know your journey has not been easy, and we want you to know you are not alone. We stand with you and will continue to walk beside you — offering hope, support, and care every step of the way.

In your honor, we extended our clinic hours for mammogram screenings and shared information about our High-Risk Breast Clinic to help more individuals access early detection and specialized care. I also had the privilege of sitting down with Dr. Laura Miegge, UnityPoint Clinic Surgery — Fort Dodge, to learn more about the exceptional breast health services available at Trinity Regional Medical Center. Nearly 40 percent of Dr. Miegge’s patients are diagnosed with either breast cancer or benign breast disease, and her dedication to compassionate, expert care makes a meaningful difference in the lives of so many.

She shared with me the process of referring patients to the High-Risk Breast Clinic at Trinity, “When a patient gets a mammogram, we do a risk assessment on that patient to determine their risk of developing breast cancer in their lifetime. If their risk assessment shows a higher lifetime risk (more than 20 percent lifetime risk of developing breast cancer) they are referred to the clinic.”

So far this year, more than 320 patients qualified for high-risk breast follow up, and 183 of those patients are being seen in the High-Risk Breast Clinic. Most patients in the clinic, especially those with high breast density, are offered a breast MRI for additional screening. MRIs can find tumors of significantly smaller sizes — leading to earlier detection and a better prognosis.

The National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) estimates more than 320,000 men and women in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer this year, along with more than 60,000 women diagnosed with non-invasive breast cancer. Approximately 66 percent of breast cancer cases are diagnosed before the cancer has spread outside the breast — which are easier to treat.

Dr. Miegge shared how we are constantly improving the breast program, “We provide excellent care coordination related to the timeliness of referral to initial appointment, coupled with required follow-up testing. Patients are followed closely and moved through processes to formulate appropriate health care plans designed specifically for their diagnosis.”

If a patient is diagnosed with breast cancer, we have a great partnership with McFarland Clinic, which allows us to see patients right here in Fort Dodge at UnityPoint Health — Norma Schmoker Cancer Center. Our True Beam Linear Accelerator provides four types of radiation, and reduces some breast, lung, and prostate cancer treatments from 30 to 40 treatments to three to five treatments. Besides radiation therapy, our team may suggest surgery, chemotherapy, and pain management treatment options for cancer diagnoses.

While 1 in 8 women in the United States will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, the risk increases to 15 percent for those with a family history of breast cancer. If you have a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter), you are twice as likely to develop breast cancer. So far this year, we’ve referred 43 patients for genetic counseling with four patients being identified with a positive finding. Early detections, mammograms and self-breast exams are critical for patients when it comes to diagnosing breast cancer.

Together, we celebrate courage, hope, and the power of early detection.

In addition, you are invited to learn more about our surgery program here at Trinity on Monday, Nov. 17. We’ll be having a beam signing and raising event, open to the public, to celebrate the surgery renovation and expansion project that is underway. We would love for you to join us at Trinity from 4 to 5 p.m., sign your name on the beam, enjoy a meal and watch the beam be set in place. We hope you can come!

Leah Glasgo is the president of UnityPoint Health — Fort Dodge.