Feb. 22, 2021
For 44,000 patients receiving breast health services each year at Parkland Health & Hospital System, the opening of the Moody Center for Breast Health on Monday, Feb. 22 on the main hospital campus marks a major improvement in access to care. From screening and diagnosis to surgery, oncology, genetic counseling and recovery programs, the center brings together under one roof the vital breast cancer services previously scattered at 10 different Parkland locations while also offering state-of-the-art clinical care.
As Dallas County’s public health system, Parkland treats 20% of all breast cancer cases in the county and expects to provide more than 93,000 breast imaging studies in 2021. Those cared for at Parkland are racially and ethnically diverse, often younger and diagnosed at later stages in their disease than national and regional norms. Most are uninsured or underinsured and rely on Parkland for care and treatment. Parkland also has twice the national average of patients with Stage 3 and Stage 4 breast cancer.
“The Moody Center allows us to address many of the health inequities experienced by our patients by concentrating as many breast cancer services as possible in this one facility,” said W. Phil Evans, MD, FACR, FSBI, division chief of breast imaging at Parkland and professor of radiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
“Now patients will be able to schedule an appointment with the radiologist and then with the surgeon and other specialists on the same day, in the same building. This means less chance for missed appointments that delay treatment. The Moody Center eliminates many barriers that our patients face due to transportation, childcare and employment concerns,” said Vivian Johnson, PharmD, senior vice president of clinical support services at Parkland.
The new 40,000 square-foot facility replaces an outdated 8,000 square-foot off-campus breast imaging center that has struggled to keep pace with the demand for services. It expands the number of mammography units from four to 10 and offers advanced 3-D screening technology and genetic counseling. The center will allow Parkland to introduce new programs ranging from nutrition counseling to prosthetics to survivorship support that will benefit patients and their families.
In addition to improving access to care with breast imaging, surgery, nuclear medicine, radiation oncology and other specialties, the new center will improve patient outcomes by promoting communication, multidisciplinary interactions and planning among a unified team of caregivers and physicians, Dr. Evans said.
Construction of the Moody Center was supported by $40 million in philanthropic donations to Parkland Foundation, anchored by a $15 million gift from the Moody Foundation.