The Toronto Hospital Awarded Accreditation for Mammography Units

(March 21, 1997, Toronto) The Toronto Hospital Breast Clinics have received the highest recognition awarded by the Canadian Association of Radiologists.

The three-year accreditation is awarded to mammography facilities in Canada which have achieved the association's highest standards for staff, equipment, quality assurance and quality control practices, image quality and breast radiation dose. The accreditation to The Toronto Hospital was awarded on Thursday, March 20, 1997.

The Toronto Hospital joins Princess Margaret Hospital to become the only teaching hospitals in Metro Toronto to receive this prestigious accreditation. "This accreditation is a testimony to our staff and the hospital's commitment to provide the best care and diagnosis to women who undergo mammography," says Dr. Nancy Wadden, Head of Breast Imaging, The Toronto Hospital. "The awarding of this accreditation ensures that the women we see are receiving the best mammographic examinations by a highly trained staff using the latest in technology."

Of the 257 mammography units in Ontario, only 60, or 23 per cent, are accredited by the Canadian Association of Radiologists.

Approximately 225 women visit the Breast Clinics at The Toronto Hospital each week for mammography - a low dose X-ray of the breast. Its main purpose is to identify early breast cancer and is the only reliable screening method available. Mammography can often identify a small cancer several years before it is large enough to be felt as a lump.

For more information, contact Josey Panetta, Senior Media Relations Officer, The Toronto Hospital, (416) 340-3303.

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