Breast, Women’s Cancer Services for Underserved Women Program Receives $29,000 Gift

OCEANSIDE, N.Y. - Nov. 14, 2014 - PRLog -- The LI2Day Walk has awarded South Nassau Communities Hospital’s Gertrude & Louis Feil Cancer Center with a $29,900 gift in support of its screening, early detection and diagnosis services for medically underserved and low income patients with suspected or confirmed cancers.  This is the seventh consecutive year that LI2DAY has supported the program for a combined total of $203,400.

Celebrating its 11th anniversary, 620 walkers and a few runners participated in the 2014 LI2DAY walk held June 7, raising over $500,000 that is donated directly back to selected Long Island hospitals and community-based grassroots organizations.

This year, LI2DAY expanded its mission to raise funds for programs and services devoted to research and treatment of other types of cancers commonly diagnosed in women.  It also changed its course from a two-day event to a one-day half-marathon (13.1 mile) distance.  Participants started the walk at Smith Point in Shirley, NY and walked along a scenic route overlooking the Barrier Island, then through the local neighborhood for 13.1 miles.  The walkers enjoyed a lunch at St. George’s Manor in Mastic, NY and headed back to the Smith Point Bridge in the final procession and celebration of survivors, which ended with a Closing Ceremony.

Accredited by the American College of Surgeons National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, South Nassau’s Center for Breast Health offers a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary breast care program, with a full spectrum of clinical and support services, from screening and diagnosis to treatment and counseling.  Early detection is the focus of South Nassau’s Complete Women’s Imaging (CWI), PC, which is a designated Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology.  Led by Abraham Port, MD, director of breast imaging, and George Autz, MD, director of breast MRI services, CWI 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 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.

Oncoplastic surgical techniques are also offered.  Oncoplasty combines surgical cancer removal with plastic surgery techniques to produce a superior cosmetic end result.  Recommendations for whole-body or "systemic" treatments, such as hormonal therapy, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of two of the three therapies, 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.

For more information about the Gertrude & Louis Feil Cancer Center or to schedule an appointment, please call 1-877-SOUTH-NASSAU.

Designated a Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), South Nassau® Communities Hospital is one of the region’s largest hospitals, with 435 beds, more than 900 physicians and 3,000 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 is the only hospital on Long Island with the Novalis Tx™ and Gamma Knife® radiosurgery technologies.  South Nassau 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.  In addition, the hospital has been awarded the Joint Commission’s gold seal of approval as a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures, including heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care; and disease-specific care for hip and joint replacement, wound care and end-stage renal disease. For more information, visit www.southnassau.org.

LI2Day Walk

Since its inception, the LI2DAY has raised nearly $6 million from its annual walk.LI2DAY helps fund programs that assist with medical expenses, transportation, prosthetics and wigs, physical therapy, child care and more.  While researchers forge ahead to determine why breast cancer rates are so high on Long Island and to find a cure, LI2DAY will continue to raise awareness and much needed funds for the women and men in our community who are fighting breast cancer right now - emotionally, physically and financially.  Next year’s walk is scheduled for Saturday, June 13, 2015.  For more information, visit www.li2daywalk.org or call 631- 863- 2DAY (2329).