The National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) of The American College of Surgeons has awarded Accredited status to The Outer Banks Hospital (TOBH) Breast Care Program. Out of over 1300 similarly-sized hospitals, TOBH is the only one across the United States to earn this prestigious designation, according to a press release from TOBH.

To achieve NAPBC accreditation, a breast center demonstrates compliance with the NAPBC standards that address a center’s leadership, clinical services, research, community outreach, professional education and quality improvement for patients. Breast centers seeking NAPBC accreditation undergo a rigorous site visit every three years. As a result, the preparation for accreditation establishes high-quality, proficient systems that enable breast care programs to reduce the rate of mortality associated with breast cancer.

As a NAPBC-accredited center, TOBH is committed to maintaining levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive, high-quality, patient-centered, care for those with breast disease. Patients can be confident that their breast care team includes healthcare professionals from a variety of disciplines who are committed to working together to provide the best care. NAPBC-accredited centers also have access to information on clinical trials and new treatment options, genetic counseling and patient-centered services including psychosocial support, rehabilitation services and survivorship care.

“Accreditation is a stamp of approval that assures individuals in our community they can trust us with their breast cancer care,” said Ronnie Sloan, FACHE, president of The Outer Banks Hospital. “We are grateful and extremely proud of our cancer services team for this achievement. It demonstrates dedication and a commitment to excellent, compassionate care.”

Accreditation by the NAPBC is granted only to those programs that are committed to providing the best possible care to patients with breast cancer. The NAPBC provides the structure and resources to develop and operate a high-quality breast center and accredited program. Patients receiving care at this NAPBC-accredited program have access to:

• comprehensive care, including a full range of state-of-the-art services
• a multidisciplinary team approach to coordinate the best treatment options
• information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options

“It really is remarkable that a hospital of our size set the goal of accreditation for breast cancer care and then achieved it,” noted Charles Shelton, MD, TOBH radiation oncologist. “Very few hospitals with 25-beds or less even consider cancer services but because our mortality rate from breast cancer here in Dare County was higher than the state and national rates when we first opened the hospital, we knew we had to do something about it. Since 2002, we have actually reduced the mortality rate from breast cancer locally by 50%,” he added.

The National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers represents a consortium of national, professional organizations dedicated to the quality of care of patients with diseases of the breast. Its board membership includes professionals from more than 20 national organizations that represent the full spectrum of breast care.  For more information, visit facs.org/quality-programs/napbc.

The Outer Banks Hospital is part of ECU Health and Chesapeake Regional Healthcare. Experience one patient’s breast cancer journey with The Outer Banks Hospital at youtube.com/watch?v=Y3dVTbyMEQE&t=8s.

For more about cancer services at TOBH, visit theouterbankshospital.com/services/cancer-care/.

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