Women reading a radiologist’s report of their recent screening mammography may learn for the first time they have “dense breast tissue.” At the BreastCare Center at Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC), YRMC Imaging Services and Prescott Medical Imaging they’ll also learn their lifetime risk for breast cancer. Arizona and more than half of the states nationwide have passed breast density notification laws intended to inform women who have undergone mammography screening about their breast density. Unlike most imaging centers, however, YRMC also is arming women and their doctors with an assessment of the woman’s likelihood of developing breast cancer during her lifetime. The goal is to increase the understanding of breast density and provide women and their physicians’ information to act on. “Breast density information is more valuable when it’s combined with an assessment of the woman’s lifetime risk for breast cancer,” said Kathi Hoffer, YRMC’s Imaging Services Operations Manager at the BreastCare Center. “With this information, a woman and her physician can develop a plan that may include additional screening, such as Breast MRI or Ultrasound.” What is breast density? It’s a way to describe the composition of a woman’s breasts. It compares the area of breast and connective tissue – as seen on a mammogram – to the area of fat. Breast and connective tissue are denser than fat so high breast density means there is more breast and connective tissue as compared to fat. Low breast density means there is a greater amount of fat as compared to breast and connective tissue. “Everyone is born with a breast pattern, just like a fingerprint,” said Hoffer. “Some people have a dense breast pattern and some do not.” A dense breast pattern is normal. In fact, approximately 40 percent of women over the age of 40 have dense breasts. On a mammogram, dense breast tissue appears white as do breast masses or tumors. This means dense tissue can sometimes mask tumors. Additionally, for reasons researchers are still studying, women who have dense breast tissue have a slightly higher risk of breast cancer compared to women with less dense breast tissue. “There’s lots of confusion about breast density,” Hoffer said. “Many people think they have dense breasts and in reality they do not. Others are not aware that they do have dense breasts.” YRMC’s mammography reports create a complete picture of their respective lifetime risk for breast cancer. The assessment takes into account: Age Breast density Ethnicity Family history Genetics (BRCA1 or BRCA2) Onset of menstruation and menopause Previous breast biopsy or breast cancer Pregnancy history Women with dense breasts are encouraged to speak to their physicians to develop a plan to monitor their breast health. Some women with dense breasts also undergo Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and/or Ultrasound. It’s also recommended that future mammograms be done as 3-D or Breast Tomosynthesis. The first step is to get regular digital mammography screening. Women who can’t afford to undergo regular screening may be eligible for mammography screening at no cost through the YRMC Community BreastCare Fund. For more information about breast screening contact: The BreastCare Center at YRMC – (928) 442-8900 Imaging Services at YRMC West – (928) 442-8900 Prescott Medical Imaging – (928) 771-7577

Jennifer B. Schenne, DO, has joined YRMC PhysicianCare’s Primary Care team in the YRMC Outpatient Services Building at 7700 E. Florentine Road in Prescott Valley. Dr. Schenne is Board Certified in Family Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine. She earned her medical degree from Des Moines University in Des Moines, Iowa and completed the Residency Program in Family Medicine at Garden City Osteopathic Hospital in Garden City, Michigan. Dr. Schenne is accepting new patients. To schedule an appointment, call (928) 442-8710. YRMC PhysicianCare accepts most insurance plans including Medicare. For more information, visit YRMC PhysicianCare.

The year was 1948. Prescott – a town of about 6,000 – was getting on its post-war feet: building roads, opening schools and modernizing medical care. “When Mel and I arrived, the physicians were still pouring ether for anesthesia,” said Jean N. Phillips. “Mel introduced sophisticated anesthesia to the community.” “Mel” is Melvin W. Phillips, MD, a veteran who served as a battalion surgeon during the war and then completed a medical residency in Tacoma, Washington. In Prescott, Dr. Phillips started a thriving medical practice and was soon busy caring for people throughout the community. He even traveled to Bagdad twice a week before that town had a local doctor. “The road was very rough, so his ranch patients would sometimes meet him at their mailboxes for medical advice and prescriptions,” Mrs. Phillips said. “He went through 23 tires in one year with that experience.” It wasn’t long before Mrs. Phillips – a mother of two – also was helping a community in need. She joined the Yavapai County Medical Auxiliary and was soon contacted by Prescott Community Hospital’s board chairman with a question: Could she help the hospital with the $400 year-end budget shortfall it faced? “The hospital was accustomed to making budget by raffling off a calf donated by a local rancher,” she said. “But that year, a calf wasn’t available so they asked me to plan a charity ball to cover the budget.” That first charity ball raised $4,000 for the hospital. It took place at the Prescott National Guard Armory on Gurley Street. Mrs. Phillips and her committee transformed the armory into an elegant holiday setting. Musicians played on the stage as women in gowns and men in their finest attire danced under starry lights from a crystal ball. Only Mrs. Phillips and her committee knew the stage curtain was drawn to hide the artillery stored there. The charity ball was one of 17 the Medical Auxiliary would host for the hospital. “I chaired the first and the last charity ball as well as some in between,” she said. “It was always the social benefit event of the year.” The event cemented Mrs. Phillips reputation as a resourceful, smart and energetic community leader and volunteer. Soon, she was involved in other significant community causes promoting the arts, education, healthcare and more. “I was once introduced as an ‘upstart’ after all of that,” she said. Determined and civic-minded could also describe Mrs. Phillips. Consider when the community decided to combine the resources and services of Prescott’s two hospitals into Yavapai Community Hospital, now Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC). The new hospital was the result of a hospital district formed in 1960, a bond issue passed in 1962 and federal Hill-Burton funds. It featured 73 medical-surgical beds, 32 extended care beds and an obstetrical unit. What it didn’t include, Mrs. Phillips noticed, were drapes in the patient rooms. “That was something Hill-Burton didn’t fund,” she said. Not to be deterred, Mrs. Phillips approached local civic organizations to sponsor the window coverings. She recruited a local seamstress to sew the drapes and then sent the curtains to California for fireproofing. Soon, every patient window in the hospital was covered. Her positive attitude has brought myriad programs and improvements to the community. Mrs. Phillips was among four women who went door-to-door, raising money to construct Good Samaritan Society – Prescott Village, the community’s first modern nursing home facility. “My philosophy is if you talk with people and they donate to a cause, that’s fundraising,” explained Mrs. Phillips. “If you don’t get a donation after speaking with someone, that’s education because you are still raising awareness.” Many community pillars stand tall today thanks in part to Mrs. Phillips. She helped establish Prescott Center for the Arts (formerly Prescott Fine Arts Association), Yavapai County Traffic Survival School, West Yavapai Guidance Clinic and Yavapai College Foundation. Her interest in Yavapai College Foundation continued through the creation of numerous scholarships, including many that help students pursuing nursing degrees. Mrs. Phillips has also served more than 60 years in the GFWC Monday Club, which supports the Prescott Public Library. Mrs. Phillips helped her husband edit his book, Mile Hi Docs, published in 1996 shortly before he passed away. The book chronicles the history of the Yavapai County Medical Society. It also describes his experiences as one of the community’s early physicians. Dr. and Mrs. Phillips generously donated proceeds from Mile Hi Docs to YRMC. It would take another book to fully tell the story of Mrs. Phillips and her role in establishing the community she loves. On a 2013 resume, Mrs. Phillips jotted a note that reveals both her good humor and dedication to the community: “Having been here nearly 65 years,” she wrote, “I sometimes recognize myself as history.” And given Mrs. Phillips record of service, there is no doubt more history in the making.

Alan J. Schenne, DO, is the newest physician to join the YRMC PhysicianCare Family Medicine team at 1050 Gail Gardner Way, Suite 300 in Prescott. Dr. Schenne earned his medical degree from Des Moines University in Des Moines, Iowa. He trained in Family Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) at Garden City Osteopathic Hospital in Garden City, Michigan. Dr. Schenne is fellowship trained in OMM from Botsford General Hospital in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Dr. Schenne is accepting new patients. To schedule an appointment, call (928) 717-5232. YRMC PhysicianCare accepts most insurance plans including Medicare. For more information, visit YRMC PhysicianCare.