Intermountain Health Layton Hospital Expands Access to Breast Cancer Screening for Residents in Davis County
Intermountain Health Layton Hospital is celebrating the completion of a new mammography suite that will expand access to high-quality, advanced breast cancer screening for the Davis County community.
The hospital celebrated the opening of the mammography suite with a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 14, which was attended by caregivers and community partners at the hospital.
The new mammography suite will offer both screening and diagnostic mammograms, as well as the addition of ultrasound procedures specifically designed to enhance the detection of breast cancer.
“We’ll work closely with our partners at Intermountain Health McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden, which will be a great collaboration so that patients can have screenings and diagnostics here in Layton and then follow through with their biopsies at Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital, if needed,” said Lindsay Cutler, imaging department manager at Intermountain Layton Hospital.
“In addition to mammography services, we’ve also added breast MRI services here at Intermountain Layton Hospital,” Cutler added. “We are excited to provide these services to women in our community to advanced care close to home.”
Cutler said that statistics show Utah ranks low among states in America for women getting regular mammogram screenings.
“Less that 65 percent of women age 40 and older in Utah get an annual mammogram, which ranks 44th in the nation for breast cancer screening rates,” she said. “We want to make breast cancer screening as convenient as possible.”
“Women tend to always be busy with something, so if we can expand these services and enhance the space for them to have a mammogram done closer to home than we’re doing our job,” Cutler added. “Hopefully, we can increase the number of women getting their mammogram so we're not in the bottom percentile for the nation for screenings.”
David Peterson, MD, a radiologist over women’s imaging and breast imaging at Intermountain Layton and McKay-Dee hospitals, shared a similar sentiment about the importance of regular mammograms.
“I have seen many, many lives saved by mammograms and early detection of breast cancer,” Dr. Peterson said.
As a resident of Davis County, Dr. Peterson said that he appreciates the impact the new services at Intermountain Layton Hospital will have for people in Layton and the surrounding communities in Davis County.
“We have great resources at our larger referral hospitals in Ogden and Salt Lake City, but to have initial screenings and diagnostics closer to where women live here in Davis County is significant,” he said. “I'm very proud that we're going to be able to offer diagnostic mammography and ultrasound services here at Intermountain Layton hospital and I'm proud of the whole team who helped make this possible.”
Kristy Giles, RN, chief nursing officer and operations officer at Intermountain Layton Hospital, echoed those sentiments, while adding a personal note about why bringing this service to the Layton community was so significant to her.
“My mom was a three-time cancer survivor of breast cancer, and she survived because of a mammogram that helped catch things early enough,” Giles said. “Early detection matters, and this just shows that Intermountain Health believes in our mission to help people live the healthiest lives possible, and to offer services where they’re truly needed.”
Giles said that bringing mammography services to Intermountain Layton Hospital is responding to the needs of the community, and that is part of a continued strategy to continue to grow and change to support area residents.
To schedule a mammogram at Intermountain Layton Hospital online, visit https://doctors.intermountainhealth.org/provider/layton-hospital-mammography/7090093 or call 801-543-6000 to schedule by phone.
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