Center, supported by Independent Health, will provide a full continuum of care, from education and screening to reconstruction and oncology treatment
BUFFALO, NEW YORK—Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) Corporation today celebrated the opening of its new Breast Health Center, which will provide a full continuum of care, from education and screening to reconstruction and oncology treatment in one centralized location. Through Independent Health’s collaborative relationship with ECMC, the health insurer provides “innovation dollars” to ECMC to improve the delivery of and access to quality healthcare services. These innovation dollars from Independent Health were used to support the capital build out of the new facility, which is located on the first floor of ECMC’s main hospital on Grider Street.
Thomas J. Quatroche, ECMC CEO said, “This is an exciting and very important addition to ECMC’s life-saving healthcare services. According to the NYSDOH Cancer Registry, the breast cancer mortality rate in Erie County exceeds the mortality rate of New York State as a whole by 4.7%, so adding this service with state-of-the-art technology provides another important element in early detection, particularly for those without access to care in our community. We are very thankful for the support ECMC received from Independent Health to make the development of this new Breast Health Center possible.”
Michael W. Cropp, M.D., President & CEO, Independent Health, said, “At Independent Health, our mission is to improve access to quality health care services for our members and this entire region, and our work with ECMC to make the Breast Health Center a reality aligns perfectly with our mission. Our collaborative efforts with ECMC on this project and our shared vision to improve the health and wellbeing of this region is helping make preventive health care a convenient part of life for residents living in Delevan-Grider area and neighboring communities.”
ECMC’s Breast Health Center will offer mammography patients the gold standard in 3D imaging using Hologic Dimensions equipment as well as the Hologic bone density (DEXA) system. Breast ultrasound also playing a critical role in mammography will be performed on a state-of-the-art Toshiba Sequoia unit. These services are offered daily and in one convenient suite allowing the patient to move comfortably between modalities.
The Center, the first bricks and mortar mammography suite in the Delevan-Grider neighborhood, will support the immediate needs of the neighborhood’s residents, which is listed as “highest need” on the City’s priority needs ranking map. Currently, breast healthcare in the area is fragmented. Screening is done at one location, follow-up at another, and any necessary surgical intervention may be done at a third. Transportation is already reported as the largest barrier to care preventing patients from attending appointments, multiple locations in distant towns only increases the difficulty.
In 2022, the Commission on Cancer (CoC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) granted Three-Year Accreditation to the cancer program at Erie County Medical Center. To earn voluntary CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet 34 CoC quality care standards, be evaluated every three years through a survey process, and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered care.
About the Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) Corporation: The ECMC Corporation was established as a New York State Public Benefit Corporation and since 2004 has included an advanced academic medical center with 573 inpatient beds, on- and off-campus health centers, more than 30 outpatient specialty care services and Terrace View, a 390-bed long-term care facility. ECMC is Western New York’s only Level 1 Adult Trauma Center, as well as a regional center for burn care, behavioral health services, transplantation, medical oncology and head & neck cancer care, rehabilitation, and a major teaching facility for the University at Buffalo. Most ECMC physicians, dentists and pharmacists are dedicated faculty members of the university and/or members of a private practice plan. More Western New York residents are choosing ECMC for exceptional patient care and patient experiences – the difference between healthcare and true care ™. For additional information about ECMC, visit: www.ecmc.edu.
ABOUT INDEPENDENT HEALTH: Independent Health is an independent, not-for-profit health plan headquartered in Buffalo, New York, providing innovative health care products and benefits designed to engage consumers in their health and well-being. Established in 1980, Independent Health offers a comprehensive portfolio of progressive products including HMO, POS, PPO and EPO products, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans, individual Exchange products, consumer-directed plans, health savings accounts, and coverage for self-funded employers. Our subsidiaries and affiliate companies include a third-party administrator of health benefits, pharmacy benefit management, specialty pharmacy and the Independent Health Foundation. In all, Independent Health and its affiliates serve a total of more than 550,000 lives across the country. Independent Health has been recognized nationally for its award-winning customer service, dedication to quality health care and unmatched relationships with physicians and providers. To learn more, go to www.independenthealth.com.