South Nassau Communities Hospital Receives $29,900 Gift in Support of Cancer Services for Underserved Women

Oceanside, NY, November 16, 2014 --(PR.com)-- 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.