PeaceHealth Kearney Breast Center Earns NAPBC Accreditation

The National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a quality program administered by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) has granted accredited status to PeaceHealth Kearney Breast Center at St. John Medical Center in Longview, WA. To achieve voluntary NAPBC accreditation, a breast center demonstrates compliance with the NAPBC standards that address a center’s leadership, clinical services, research, community outreach, professional education, and quality improvement for patients. Breast centers seeking NAPBC accreditation undergo a site visit every three years.

“The bar is set quite high for Breast Centers seeking this accreditation," said Breast Program Leader Christine Katterhagen, MD, FACS. "This accreditation is the result of a multidisciplinary team effort over the last 18 months." Katterhagen said COVID-19 has created a new breast cancer concern. "During the pandemic, women have been delaying their annual mammograms, and we are now seeing a concerning number of larger tumors in patients who skipped their 2020 exam. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, and early detection is the key to survival."

As a NAPBC-accredited center, PeaceHealth's Kearney Breast Center is committed to maintaining levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive, patient-centered, multidisciplinary care resulting in high-quality care for patients with breast disease. Patients can be confident that their breast care team includes health care professionals from a variety of disciplines who are committed to working together to provide the best care available through their entire course of treatment.

Accreditation by the NAPBC is granted only to those programs that are committed to providing the best possible care to patients with breast cancer. The NAPBC provides the structure and resources develop and operate a high-quality breast center and accredited program. Patients receiving care at this NAPBC-accredited center have access to:

• 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 About the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers

About the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers
The National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers represents a consortium of national, professional organizations dedicated to the quality of care of patients with diseases of the breast. Its board membership includes professionals from more than 20 national organizations that represent the full spectrum of breast care. For more information, visit https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/napbc.

About the PeaceHealth St. John Kearney Breast Center
Located on the 3rd floor of PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center at 1615 Delaware St. in Longview, WA, the Kearney Breast Center offers a full spectrum of breast care services including:

• Stereotactic Breast Biopsy 
• Digital Mammography
• Support group for breast cancer survivors
• Financial aid programs available
• Breast case management review team
• Lending library with resources about breast cancer

For more information visit peacehealth.org/st-john/services/Cancer-Care/kearney-breast-center