One in eight women will receive a breast cancer diagnosis in her lifetime. Physicians at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital-San Marcos are there to support every woman who walks through the doors—whether she’s coming in for an annual exam or a positive diagnosis.
Located at 1301 Wonder World Drive, San Marcos, the hospital provides comprehensive breast services, including screening and diagnostic mammograms, screening and diagnostic ultrasounds, breast magnetic resonance imaging and biopsies.
The hospital has a unique program designed to help women receiving breast care. When a woman is called back for further imaging after a regular screening, they meet with a certified breast health navigator.
“I take care of all of those pieces for her, so she's not having to wonder what to do next,” certified breast care navigator Rita Longoria said. “I always educate the patient on what we're going to do next in order to get that biopsy done. I coordinate it with the scheduling team and I chase down the order. Then I make sure that the date and time, and everything works for their lifestyle or their work schedule, or if they need a ride, I do all of that.”
As health care becomes increasingly more difficult for patients to navigate, CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital-San Marcos staff make themselves available to patients for any questions they have. Patients can call their breast care navigator directly to get the support they need.
“I follow them from the time they need the callback all the way through surgical intervention to post-treatment imaging and thereafter for five years,” Longoria said. “ It's exciting. I really enjoy what I do and making a difference. Now it's just a matter of teaching the public that I'm here.”
Longoria sees the same patients yearly, so she is able to develop relationships with them and advocate for them. She said she recently recommended a patient for further imaging, because she had been caring for this patient since 2018 and could tell something was off.
“I could tell the difference between the two [breasts], so while mammography and ultrasound did not show the skin changes in the dictation, I was able to see it,” Longoria said. “I called the oncology office and said, ‘I have a concern. I don't want to ignore this.’ Now she's going to have a skin biopsy.”
The team at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa-San Marcos is also heavily focused on breast cancer prevention. One of the most important things women can do to take care of their breast health is schedule their annual mammogram.
“I always encourage women to plan and have their screening done on their birthday, because they won’t forget,” Longoria said. “The beauty of 3D mammography is that we're catching cancer earlier now because of how comprehensive that imaging is.”
Even women without a family history of breast cancer need to schedule a yearly mammogram.
“Imaging is very advanced, so if we get the women involved in their own wellness, then we're definitely going to catch things sooner,” Longoria said.
Schedule your yearly mammogram today and find compassionate care at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa-San Marcos.
The above story was produced by MultiPlatform Journalist Mary Katherine Shapiro with Community Impact's Storytelling team with information solely provided by the local business as part of their "sponsored content" purchase through our advertising team.