For Immediate Release

Mercy Hosts Free Breast Health Seminar

Oklahoma City — Mercy Health North May clinic will host a free breast health seminar Thursday, October 15, at 6:30 p.m. with one of the state’s leading radiologists for anyone who wants to know why it’s important to have a mammogram, how mammograms save lives and what to expect with various breast procedures, including breast MRI.

Rebecca Stough, M.D., director of imaging and clinical director at Mercy Women’s Center, will give a short talk about how to be in charge of your breast health, followed by a Q&A segment.

“It’s really true that mammography saves lives,” said Dr. Stough. “If we can find cancer early, when it is one centimeter or smaller in size, then the chance of a cure is almost 100 percent. We’re seeing a decline nationally in the number of women getting their mammograms and because of that, we’re seeing an increase in the size of breast cancers which directly impacts survival rates. Women must get their mammograms. “

Dr. Stough was recently named Cambridge Who’s Who 2010 professional of the year in radiology (one of only four members in each discipline are named nationally each year). With a background that spans almost 30 years in radiology, and more recently breast MRI, she has not only performed or supervised more than 10,000 breast MRIs, but also has trained many physicians on how to perform and interpret the complex images.

“Dr. Stough is one of the nation’s leading breast MRI radiologists,” said Alan Hollingsworth, M.D., medical director of Mercy oncology services. “Because of her expertise, she has become a featured international speaker. It’s her experience in reading these high-tech images, along with our other breast radiologists, that gives Mercy a leadership position in breast MRI that is comparable to the leading cancer centers in the U.S. where breast MRI was pioneered. In fact, many cancer centers in the country are only now beginning to incorporate breast MRI into their practices.”

The free seminar will be held at Mercy Health North May clinic, 9100 N. May. To RSVP for the free talks, call (405) 752-3600.

Press release dated: September 24, 2009

Mercy Health Center, the first Magnet hospital in Oklahoma, is a member of Mercy Health System of Oklahoma and the Sisters of Mercy Health System. Magnet-designated facilities: report higher patient satisfaction rates, deliver better patient outcomes, provide more nursing care at the bedside of patients and consistently outperform non-magnet organizations.