From an interview with
Maureen Byrd, FNP-C
McLeod Breast Health Center

Finding breast cancer early is the main goal of routine breast care. That’s why it’s so important to follow a plan for preventive care. Finding problems early gives you the best chance of successful treatment. Routine care can also help you find other noncancerous or benign conditions. McLeod Breast Health Coordinator Maureen Byrd explains how a comprehensive breast health program can empower patients in every stage of life.

It is important for women to seek care from a program that has national accreditation because it shows our commitment to quality care. One of the goals of the McLeod Breast Health Center is to ensure screening mammography to diagnosis within five days. Not knowing with some women is the hardest part, so we try to get them diagnosed as soon as we can so we can help them with their breast cancer journey. 

At the breast center, my role is the breast health coordinator. As a nurse practitioner, I’m able to see patients that either have a high risk for breast cancer, have a family risk of breast cancer, have breast cancer concerns, or patients that have breast cancer that are in follow-up. 

When a woman is initially diagnosed with breast cancer at McLeod, she’s contacted by the breast cancer nurse navigator. From there, she participates in our multidisciplinary tumor board, where her case is discussed among surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, and radiologists. Together, they come up with the patient’s treatment plan. 

At McLeod, we realize that sometimes navigating the healthcare system is even hard for healthcare professionals. So especially for our patients, we want it easy for them to come into our system and to get answers to their questions. Our breast health navigators support the patients from the beginning of their journey all the way through survivorship. 

I’m glad for people to call me. I will navigate their treatment, explain who they need to go to, and just help them in any way that we can.