Leo W. Jenkins Cancer Center Earns Full Accreditation From National Accreditation Program For Breast Centers | Eastern North Carolina Now

 GREENVILLE     Leo W. Jenkins Cancer Center (LWJCC), a joint venture between Vidant Medical Center and the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, has been granted a three-year/full accreditation designation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a program administered by the American College of Surgeons.

 Accreditation by the NAPBC is only given to those centers that have voluntarily committed to provide the highest level of quality breast care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance. A breast center that achieves NAPBC accreditation has demonstrated a firm commitment to offer its patients every significant advantage in their battle against breast disease.

 During the survey process, LWJCC validated the need to continuously monitor high standards of care for those diagnosed with the full spectrum of breast disease. These standards include proficiency in the areas of center leadership, clinical management, research, community outreach, professional education and quality improvement.

 "This accreditation demonstrates LWJCC's commitment to providing state of the art comprehensive breast cancer care at the highest standards," said Dr. Jan Wong, professor of surgical oncology at Brody and LWJCC breast program leader. "Our multidisciplinary team works with breast patients to provide high-quality, patient-centered care that is close to home."

 The NAPBC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to the improvement of the quality of care and monitoring of outcomes of patients with diseases of the breast. This mission is pursued through standard-setting, scientific validation, and patient and professional education. Its board membership includes professionals from 20 national organizations that reflect the full spectrum of breast care.

 The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimated that there would be 232,340 patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in the United States in 2013. In addition, hundreds of thousands of women who will deal with benign breast disease this year will require medical evaluation for treatment options.


 Vidant Health is a mission-driven, 1,439-bed health system that annually serves more than 1.4 million people in 29 eastern North Carolina counties. The not-for-profit system is made up of 12,000 employees, eight hospitals, home health, hospice, wellness centers, and Vidant Medical Group, a multispecialty physician and provider group with more than 420 providers in 80 practice sites. Vidant Health is affiliated with the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. As a major resource for health services and education, Vidant Health has a mission to improve the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina. For more information, visit www.vidanthealth.com.


 The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University is nationally recognized for preparing primary care physicians who practice in medically underserved communities. All those admitted are North Carolina residents and the majority of its graduates practice primary care in North Carolina. Brody's research includes a strong focus on cardiovascular disease, diabetes and preventive care.

 Brody partners with Vidant Health to provide a teaching hospital, sharing faculty physicians in broad service areas such as critical care, surgery, emergency care and trauma. It also operates ECU Physicians, the clinical practice for the Brody School of Medicine.