South Nassau’s Center for Breast Health Earns National Re-Accreditation

South Nassau’s Center for Breast Health has been granted a three-year, full re-accreditation designation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC). The Center earned its initial NAPBC accreditation in 2013 and was re-accredited in 2016.

To achieve the re-accreditation, South Nassau demonstrated its compliance with standards established by the NAPBC to provide the best possible care to patients with diseases of the breast. The standards include proficiency in the areas of center leadership, clinical management, research, community outreach, professional education, and quality improvement. Administered by the American College of Surgeons, NAPBC accreditation is awarded only to those centers that have voluntarily committed to provide the highest level of quality breast care and to undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance.

“Our team of accomplished breast specialists uses a range of advanced treatment therapies and surgical technology so that our patients achieve the best possible outcomes,” said Rajiv Datta, MD, FACS, FRCS, FICS, chair of the department of surgery and medical director of South Nassau’s Gertrude & Louis Feil Cancer Center.  “This same team then works to develop the treatment plans specific to the unique needs of our patients.”

By achieving NAPBC accreditation, South Nassau has demonstrated a firm commitment to offer its patients every significant advantage in their battle against breast disease.  This includes:

• 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
• Quality care close to home
  

“This prestigious accreditation validates that South Nassau is living up to its commitment to provide women with comprehensive breast health services and care that is tailored to their specific needs,” said Richard J. Murphy, South Nassau’s president and CEO.
 
A division of South Nassau’s Gertrude & Louis Feil Cancer Center, the Center for Breast Health offers a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary breast care program. The center, combined with South Nassau’s Center for Women’s Imaging, offers a full spectrum of clinical and support services, from screening and diagnosis to treatment and counseling.  Detecting breast cancer in its earliest stage is the focus of. A designated Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology, the Center uses an array of state-of-the-art diagnostic technologies, including digital mammography, high resolution ultrasound and MRI of the breast, to detect breast disease in its earliest stage. Minimally invasive procedures can detect breast cancer long before it becomes a serious threat to your health and wellness.

If a tumor or abnormality is detected, the Center for Breast Health offers a multi-disciplinary breast care program, with a full spectrum of clinical and support services, from screening and diagnosis to treatment and counseling.

The Center uses the most advanced treatments for breast cancer and breast health complications and uses targeted surgical techniques that aim to preserve as much of the healthy breast and surrounding areas as possible. This includes Contura™ multi-channel and Mammosite® single-channel balloon brachytherapy techniques, which utilize a balloon catheter to deliver highly localized radiation to the lumpectomy bed; breast-conserving surgery (commonly known as lumpectomy), in which only the tumor or abnormality is removed from the breast; or mastectomy, an operation in which the whole breast is removed.  For invasive breast cancer, these procedures may be accompanied by a sentinel lymph node biopsy or axillary lymph node dissection if needed.

The center also specialize in Oncoplasty, which combines surgical cancer removal with plastic surgery for a superior cosmetic result. Whole-body or "systemic" treatments, such as hormonal therapy, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of two of the three, may follow either surgical approach.  If early-stage breast cancer is present, sentinel lymph node biopsy is used as an alternative to traditional lymph node dissection.

Treating approximately 1,500 patients annually, the Gertrude & Louis Feil Cancer Center has evolved into one of the region’s premiere providers of compassionate advanced cancer care. The center is the only one on Long Island that is equipped with all three of the most effective technologies used to treat and eradicate cancer: the Varian Novalis Tx™, da Vinci® Surgical System and Gamma Knife® Perfexion.

In addition to the Center for Breast Health and CWI, the Gertrude & Louis Feil Cancer Center incorporates the following specialty cancer care services:

• Cancer Center (Valley Stream)
• GYN Oncology Department (Valley Stream)
• Long Island Gamma Knife® Center (Oceanside)
• Center for Prostate Health Program (Oceanside)
• Center for Lung Health (Oceanside/Valley Stream)
• Radiation Oncology Department (Oceanside and Valley Stream)
• Surgical Oncology Department (Oceanside and Valley Stream)
• RALI PET Imaging (Rockville Centre)
  

The Long Island flagship hospital of the Mount Sinai Health System, South Nassau® Communities Hospital is designated a Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for outstanding nursing care. South Nassau is one of the region’s largest hospitals, with 455 beds, more than 900 physicians and 3,500 employees. Located in Oceanside, NY, the hospital is an acute-care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health and emergency services.

In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, South Nassau provides emergency and elective angioplasty, and offers Novalis Tx™ and Gamma Knife® radiosurgery technologies. South Nassau operates the only Trauma Center on the South Shore of Nassau County verified by the American College of Surgeons as well as Long Island’s only free-standing, 9-1-1 receiving Emergency Department in Long Beach. South Nassau also is a designated Stroke Center by the New York State Department of Health and Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons, and is an accredited center of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Association and Quality Improvement Program.

The hospital has also been awarded the Joint Commission’s gold seal of approval for disease-specific care for stroke, hip and knee replacement, heart failure, bariatric surgery, wound care and end-stage renal disease.  For more information, visit www.southnassau.org.