HOULTON, Maine — State of the art digital mammography services are now available in southern Aroostook County for the first time.
Houlton Regional Hospital, along with the financial support of the Health Services Foundation, has unveiled its new 3D tomosynthesis mammography equipment for the hospital’s radiology department.
Digital 3-D mammography has been offered at hospitals in Presque Isle and Bangor, but now Houlton area patients can receive the same high-level of care without having to travel considerable distances.
The first patient to use this game-changing technology was screened on Jan. 13 at the Houlton Hospital.
“With the old machine, we were only able to take a two-dimensional picture,” said Rachel Soucy, mammography technician at HRH. “This updated system allows a doctor to manipulate the image to see if there is something that needs to be investigated more.”
The new imaging system means patients are less likely to be called back for additional scans and, more importantly, areas of concern can be addressed more quickly.
Lori Weston, director of the Health Services Foundations, said the purchase could not have been made without the overwhelming support of the local community through various fundraising events.
For example, in 2021, the “Festival of Trees” event raised a record-breaking $44,000 for the organization by simply selling $1 raffle tickets for various ornately decorated Christmas trees.
“The role of the Health Services Foundation is to help secure funding for items such as this,” Weston said. “This is a piece that is really critical to health care in our region. The impact of being able to be close to home, that is so much easier to do when you are here, surrounded by family and friends.”
Weston added a number of people have told her that they planned to hold off having their scans until the Houlton unit was ready to be used.
In 2020, Houlton Regional Hospital did 2,400 mammography scans. Hospital officials expect that number to increase dramatically now that HRH has the higher-caliber imaging system.
“On a good day, we can do about 13 patients a day,” Soucy said.
Sue McLaughlin, radiology manager at HRH, said that in addition to the equipment, the hospital has also remodeled its mammography rooms to make it more comfortable for patients. Three rooms were renovated to create more of a “suite” feel at the hospital to help reduce anxiety for those getting scans.
In addition, artwork for the suite will feature creations by students at Houlton Middle-High School and be rotated every few months.
“It’s a comfort for women — and men — to be able to stay here with their doctors,” McLaughlin said.
