Bangor Savings Bank donates $5,000 for digital mammography

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — Local business continue to show their support for the Health Services Foundation’s digital mammography campaign. The Bangor Savings Bank became the latest local business to show their support for the cause, pledging $5,000 to the campaign.
    “The grant is from the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation,” said Kris Nickerson, regional market manager for the bank. “Our foundation does quarterly reviews on the applications it receives and Houlton Regional Hospital was one of the successful applicants.”
    “The Health Services Foundation began in 1983 and over those many years Bangor Savings Bangor has contributed significantly to the Foundation’s mission of ‘Excellence In Health Care,’ not only with grant funding, but board service, and overall support of Foundation yearly fund-raising efforts,” said Elizabeth Dulin, Health Services Foundation executive director. “When Bangor Savings Bank says ‘You Matter More’ they truly mean that in the outstanding support this bank shows to their community at large. In giving this grant to the Foundation, Bangor Savings Bank and its employees recognize how important Houlton Regional Hospital is for family members, and all those they care about when it comes to health care.”
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
CHARITABLE DONATION — Bangor Savings Bank of Houlton pledged $5,000 to the Health Services Foundation’s digital mammography campaign. Taking part in the presentation are, from left, Kris Nickerson, regional market manager for Bangor Savings Bank; Elizabeth Dulin, executive director for Health Services Foundation; and Brenda Richards, assistant branch manager.
    The purchase of a GE Senographe Full Field Digital Mammography System will give Houlton Regional the necessary tools for early detection of this very serious disease at the local level, according to Dulin.
    “It will give those who come in for screenings peace of mind in knowing that the very best service is being offered for early detection of breast cancer,” she said. “This will have far-reaching effects for those families who, given the best information possible in the event of breast cancer diagnosis, will be able to make wise decisions regarding this very serious health  care issue. We are very grateful to Bangor Savings Bank for recognizing the importance of this fund-raising effort and choosing to assist us with reaching our goal.”
    The new system will provide far better early detection of breast cancer with superior digital screenings.  State-of-the-art digital mammography screening technology at Houlton Regional will provide for safe, compassionate, and quality healthcare in the field of breast cancer diagnosis. Even though breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women, men as well, face breast cancer diagnosis.
    The new system will assist in patient care by reducing patient exam time, allowing medical facilities to examine more patients who need mammograms, help decrease patient callbacks, and offer a more comprehensive view of the entire breast area. The GE system displays high quality patient images in seconds, providing technologists with quick verification of correct patient positioning. Digital mammography offers practical advantages over film screen mammography by improving contrast, and the use of advanced computer and electronic technologies to manipulate the image in order to better “see” certain breast tumors that are currently difficult to visualize on film screen mammography systems.
    “We felt it was very important to support the improvements to the hospital,” Nickerson added. “A two-hour ride (to Bangor) for someone is too much, especially with the way the economy is. Anything we can do to support what the Foundation is doing to improve health care in this community is a good thing.”
    Anyone wishing further information regarding the Digital Mammography or other Foundation projects, or to make a donation please call our office at 207-521-2147 or visit the website at www.healthservicesfoundation.org.