Ellen Hermanson Foundation Grant To Support Leica Mammotome Expert Biopsy Suite, Hologic Affirm Prone Breast Biopsy System, And More

The Ellen Hermanson Foundation is awarding Stony Brook Southampton Hospital a $285,000 grant that will benefit the Hospital’s Ellen Hermanson Breast Center and Ellen’s Well, a program that offers psychosocial support to breast and gynecological cancer survivors, and, The Phillips Family Cancer Center which is expected to open in Southampton later this year.

“We cherish our longstanding partnership with The Ellen Hermanson Foundation and are grateful beyond words for this most recent grant,” said Bob Chaloner, Chief Administrative Officer, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital. “Over the years, generous grants from the Foundation have made it possible for us to acquire state-of-the art equipment and provide vital and compassionate support services for breast cancer patients and their families.”

A portion of the grant will be allocated to underwrite the cost of a Leica Mammotome Expert Biopsy Suite, which will boast the most advanced technology available, allowing surgeons and radiologists to access and inspect specimens without ever having to exit the operating room, eliminating the need to move the specimen to a different location for analysis.

“When we started Ellen’s Run in 1996,” said Julie Ratner, President of The Ellen Hermanson Foundation, “we decided to always keep the money we raise on the East End. Today – 23 years later – the funds we raise provide a comprehensive range of direct services that make a real impact on the lives of women and families in our community.”

The grant will also support a Hologic Affirm Prone Breast Biopsy System that utilizes three-dimensional imaging to aid the biopsy process, three chemotherapy infusion chairs – culminating the Foundation’s pledge of ten chairs for The Phillips Family Cancer Center, and several programs and services presented through the Ellen Hermanson Breast Center and Ellen’s Well, which include mammograms for uninsured women, ultrasounds for uninsured women, MRIs for uninsured women, oncological social worker, Renewal & Hope three-day retreat, Day of Renewal & Hope, nutritional counseling, transportation assistance, reflexology during chemotherapy, massage and acupuncture therapy, yoga, water exercise, and strength training.

“As a result of this collaboration, The Ellen Hermanson Breast Center at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital stands as a tribute to one woman’s courageous battle memorialized by her inspirational sisters,” Chaloner added.