Issue link: https://fredparent.uberflip.com/i/732015
18 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • October 2016 Ask the Expert a sk t h e e x p e rt Q: Tell us a little about what makes Elite Women's Health stand out. Our goal at Elite Women's Health is to provide exceptional care to each patient who walks through our doors. We are a smaller practice, which allows patients to see the same pro- vider frequently and make a personal connection. We also have same-day appointments with our nurse practi- tioners, which allows patients flexibil- ity and ease of care. We strive for each patient to leave our office feeling that she had an ELITE experience, from beginning to end. Q: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. What are three things you wish women knew about their breast health? First, get to know what's normal for you by performing Self Breast Exams (SBE) monthly. There's no wrong way to perform them and SBE can detect abnormalities that your health care provider will address. Breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer in women, skin cancer being the first. It is also the second deadliest. One in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. In 1 out of 36 women diagnosed, it will be deadly. According to the American Cancer Society, "Estimates for breast cancer in the United States for 2016 are as follows: about 246,660 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diag- nosed in women, about 61,000 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be diagnosed (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast can- cer), and about 40,450 women will die from breast cancer." Currently, there are 2.8 million breast cancer survivors in the United States. Courtney Miller WHNP, BC, joined Elite Women's Heath in 2014. She worked previously as lead nurse practitioner at a breast health clinic in Chicago, Illinois (2009-2014), and has specialized training in benign and malignant diseases of the breast. At Elite Women's Heath, Miller and uses her training to identify patients who are at high risk for breast cancer and develops care plans based off that patient's personal health history. Those high risk patients are offered on-site counseling, BRCA testing and other specialty referrals. She, alongside a team of dedicated OB/GYNs at Elite Women's Heath, are diligently working to educate local women on breast health breast cancer prevention. INTERVIEWED BY BRENDA SAPANGHILA Elite Women's Health