St. Mary's Breast Health Center
Phone & Address
1500 Oglethorpe Ave.
Suite 2100
Athens, GA 30606
Hours
At St. Mary’s Breast Health Center, our goal is to treat every patient with compassionate, comprehensive
care using the latest technologies available. We strive to provide outstanding care in a warm and
welcoming environment.
We know our patients expect and deserve top-quality care. That’s why we have voluntarily sought and
received certification by the National Quality Measures for Breast CentersTM Program and
accreditation by the American College of Surgeons’ National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers.
These accomplishments and recognitions make our center the only dual-certified breast center in our
region.
St. Mary’s Breast Health Center offers
- Prevention counseling
- Routine screening
- Diagnostic imaging
- High-risk counseling
- Genetic counseling and testing
- Medical, radiographic, and surgical treatment
Kathleen Jeffery,
MD
Breast Surgeon
Hannah Denton RN, BSN
Nurse Navigator
We want patients to understand that breast disease, including breast cancer, is treatable – and in many
cases associated with long-term survival. We aim to be on the cutting edge of technology throughout each
patient’s journey while providing a compassionate and seamless experience. It is our goal to make sure
the patient feels educated and takes an active part in their treatment plan.
Ellen Walker Testimonial
What Is a High-Risk Breast Clinic?
It’s a service dedicated to women who are at high risk of developing breast cancer. We perform a risk
assessment on all patients who come to us for care. This pain-free assessment helps us measure the risk that
a patient might have a genetic abnormality. Women found to be at high risk can then receive genetic testing
to confirm or rule out abnormalities that could lead to breast disease. Other breast cancer risk assessment
tools will be used as well, which would prompt recommendations for increased imaging surveillance handled
through the high-risk clinic.
Eligibility for genetic testing is based on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines. We
handle this testing process, which is performed in our office, as well as result reporting and genetic
counseling.
Frequently Asked Questions
St. Mary's Breast Health Center will provide pre- and post-operative patient consultations at St.
Mary's Breast Health Center, located at 1230 Baxter St. Athens, Georgia. Dr. Jeffery
is now accepting patient appointments. A referral from a primary care physician may be required
under some insurance plans. As part of St. Mary's Medical Group, St. Mary's Breast Health Center
accepts most major
insurance plans and Medicare. Please contact your insurance provider for more information regarding
your specific plan requirements for a specialist referral.
Interested in becoming a patient of St. Mary's Breast Health Center?
All patients treated at St. Mary’s Breast Health Center will have access to a multidisciplinary
team of experts in surgery, genetics, high-risk screening, medical oncology, radiation oncology,
pathology radiology, as well as reconstructive plastic surgery.
Yes. We offer state-of-the-art 3D mammography, including annual screenings, at all four of our breast
health centers in Athens, Oconee County, Lavonia and Greensboro. To schedule a mammogram, talk to
your doctor or complete our scheduling request form.
When a mammogram shows a suspicious finding, we take it very seriously. One of our breast health
navigators will contact you to help you quickly schedule any additional testing you may need. We
offer a full spectrum of follow-up testing, including 3D diagnostic mammography, ultrasound studies,
breast MRI, and several forms of breast biopsy. Many of these services are available at St. Mary's
Breast Health Center in Resource Medical Park off Oglethorpe Avenue in Athens, as well as at Good
Samaritan
Hospital in Greensboro and St. Mary's Sacred Heart Hospital in Lavonia, as well as St. Mary's
Hospital in Athens.
Anytime a patient feels or sees something abnormal in their breast, nipple or armpit, they should see
a breast surgeon. Abnormalities found in a mammogram, ultrasound or MRI would also be cause for
seeing a breast surgeon. Lastly, if there is a family history of certain cancers, visiting our
high-risk
clinic would be appropriate.
Many benign (non-cancerous) diseases occur in the breast and may need to be evaluated
by a breast surgeon. These can be benign tumors, discharge from the nipple, and dermatologic
conditions of the breast as well as many others. It is important to make sure someone has
differentiated these from a cancerous diagnosis.
In many cases, genetic testing can be as simple as providing a spit sample. Occasionally, but not
often, blood will need to be drawn. Testing is performed directly in the Breast Health Center.
For many patients, there is no clear reason why they develop breast cancer and nothing they have done
that might have caused it. There are hormonal factors that play into the development, as well as
changes in a
person's DNA during their lifetime. A smaller percentage are related to family history with a
genetic mutation that is passed down through family members.
Breast cancer stages are typically expressed as numbers 0-IV — 0 being non-invasive cancer
that is still confined to the milk ducts and stage IV being more advanced cancer that may have
spread to
other parts of the body.
The highest standard of care is to provide a multidisciplinary approach to the care of breast
disease. This approach frequently involves a combination of surgery, medication, and possibly
radiation therapy. St. Mary’s Breast Health Center works to make each patient’s treatment happen in
the most seamless, cohesive way possible.
We hold tumor boards regularly throughout the month where our multidisciplinary team meets to discuss
patients recently diagnosed with breast cancer.
Understanding Cancer Episode 4: Breast Cancer (part 1)
Understanding Cancer Episode 5: Breast Cancer (part 2)
The Value of a Breast Center with Kathleen Jeffery, MD
Insurance resources and the plans that contract with St. Mary’s Health Care System can be found
by clicking the button.
