Norwood Hospital Opens Innovative Breast Evaluation Center-October 26, 1992

Multidisciplinary Clinic Cuts Wait Times and Streamlines Patient Care

Addressing the agonizing weeks of uncertainty women traditionally face after discovering a breast lump, Norwood Hospital officially inaugurated its new Breast Evaluation Center on Friday. The clinic revolutionizes the diagnostic process by bringing a multidisciplinary team of medical experts together in a single room to evaluate patients simultaneously, eliminating the need to schedule sequential appointments across multiple specialists.

“For years women have complained that the only thing worse than discovering a lump in their breasts was waiting six weeks to see four doctors to find out what it was,” noted hospital officials. Lauren Holm, vice president of programs for the Massachusetts division of the American Cancer Society, praised the launch: “It’s a great concept, and we endorse it. Nine out of ten lumps are benign, but nothing causes more anxiety for a woman than discovering a lump in her breast and not knowing what it is for six weeks.”

Operating on the second and fourth Fridays of every month, the program charges a highly accessible $130 fee for a half-hour consultation—making it the least expensive comprehensive clinic of its kind in the region. Jeanne Morello, Norwood Hospital’s vice president in charge of operations and a primary advocate for the center, explained the pricing strategy: “We look at it as a community benefit and hope the patient will stay with our system for future services.” Because many HMOs do not cover non-cancerous tumor care or out-of-plan clinic visits, keeping costs low was a critical priority.

Collaborative Care Model and First Patient Consultation

The center is designed to serve three core groups: women diagnosed with breast cancer seeking second opinions, individuals who discover abnormalities without a primary care physician, and high-risk patients seeking reassurance.

Dr. James Popkin, Norwood’s chief oncologist, emphasized that the clinic reflects modern advancements in cancer care where treatments have evolved far beyond the radical mastectomies common a decade prior. Today’s options incorporate lumpectomies, chemotherapy, and targeted radiation therapy administered by distinct specialists. “It’s not fair for me to say that a patient doesn’t need radiation therapy, because I’m no radiation specialist,” Popkin explained. “Likewise, it’s not fair for a radiation therapist to say a patient doesn’t need chemotherapy.”

Affiliated Southwood Hospital Chief Radiation Oncologist Dr. Carl vonEssen expressed hope that the clinic’s success could serve as a blueprint for treating other medical conditions.

During the center’s inaugural session, the medical team—comprising Dr. Popkin, Dr. vonEssen, surgeon Dr. Richard Wulf, radiologist Dr. Albert Interrante, and oncology nurse Pamela Calarese (alongside coordinator Daisy Mitchell)—evaluated their first patient: an elderly woman with a family history of breast cancer who had endured weeks of sleepless worry. Within 30 minutes of her arrival, the specialists reviewed X-rays dating back to 1983, formulated a consensus care plan, explained the diagnosis directly to the patient, and dispatched an outlining letter to her family physician.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger