Hospital opens women’s center

CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital - Sulphur Springs, with the support of the Hopkins County Healthcare Foundation is extremely excited to announce the opening of the new women’s center—the Ruth & Jack Gillis Women’s Center. Sisters Judy Gillis and Janet Jordan made a contribution to the Healthcare Foundation to name this center after their beloved parents.

“We are incredibly thankful to sisters Judy Gillis and Janet Jordan who have made this new Women’s Center possible,” said Shannon Barker, foundation director. “Because of their dedication to this community and support of our mission, their incredible generosity toward the Healthcare Foundation brought this project to life and in honor of their beloved parents.”

The facility is a one-stop shop for women for their radiological needs, using state-of-the-art equipment such as the brand new Hologic 3-D Mammography machine with needle biopsy, as well as bone density and ultrasound. The hospital has interventional radiologists on site every Thursday, who are able to perform various minimally invasive procedures using medical imaging guidance.

Benefits of the new Ruth & Jack Gillis Women’s Center with 3-D Mammography include:

• A high-quality experience close to home,

• Improved ability to screen and detect potential breast cancer using brand new, advanced technology, and

• Fewer false positives, which reduces concerning call-backs, requiring wait times and further testing.

“The new Ruth & Jack Gillis Women’s Center provides our patients with a very high-quality experience, close to home,” said Paul Harvey, chief executive officer of CHRISTUS - Sulphur Springs. “The center offers patients lifesaving services with an improved ability to screen and detect potential breast cancer using brand new, advanced technology. That means we can be more accurate in diagnosis, more efficient in delivering services and more helpful to this community in fulfilling our mission to extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ.”

This fall, CHRISTUS hosted the second annual free mammogram screenings to uninsured women over 40 years old. The Hopkins County Healthcare Foundation hosts a full Saturday with 20 available appointments, limited to the first women who call to schedule. Any qualifying woman who missed the event this year can expect to see it again next fall.

Additionally, the Healthcare Foundation houses the “In My Closet,” a space filled with an assortment of wigs, scarves, hats, specialty lotions/creams, books, puzzles, etc. The desire of the partnership between The Cross Country Cowboy Church and the Healthcare Foundation, which funded the endeavor, is to help patients undergoing cancer treatments to feel better and combat the difficulties in finding certain items in our community that patients may otherwise have to travel out of town to purchase or may even lack the funds. This is a free service for anyone battling cancer. The closet is open by appointment only, and more information is available by calling 903-438-4799.

All women should begin regular screening mammograms at age 40 or younger if they have a family history of breast cancer. To schedule your annual mammogram in Sulphur Springs, talk to a doctor, or call 903-439-4325.