October 2021 Featured Interview
Expanding Access to Breast Cancer Screenings & Treatments
An Interview with
Regina M. Hampton, M.D., FACS
Co-founder & Chief Medical Officer of Breast Care for Washington
Photo Courtesy: Breast Care for Washington
About Regina:
Regina Hampton, M.D., FACS, is the medical director of the Breast Care Center at Luminis Health-DCMC, the first breast center in Prince George’s County. She is a board-certified general surgeon with a practice focus on breast health and breast cancer.
Regina is also a co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Breast Care for Washington, a nonprofit dedicated to providing access to mammograms regardless of the ability to pay. The facility is the first 3D mammography provider east of the Anacostia neighborhood in Ward 8, which has the highest mortality rate for breast cancer in the District of Columbia.
About Breast Care for Washington:
Regina is also a co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Breast Care for Washington, a nonprofit dedicated to providing access to mammograms regardless of the ability to pay. The facility is the first 3D mammography provider east of the Anacostia neighborhood in Ward 8, which has the highest mortality rate for breast cancer in the District of Columbia.
About Breast Care for Washington:
Breast Care for Washington is uniquely positioned to impact women’s access to breast cancer screening in the District of Columbia. The organization’s Ward 8 location in a federally qualified health center (FQHC) helps the community’s low-income, medically underserved women overcome current barriers that prevent them from receiving high quality breast care because of distance to providers and a lack of transportation options. As the only stationary 3D mammography facility providing direct services within a community health clinic setting, the organization offers an enhanced level of care coordination, including patient initiation into screening, assistance with identifying eligibility for public assistance programs, and post image navigating services.
Karen Shan, co-associate editor, spoke with Regina about the importance of breast cancer screening in women, especially those of African American and Latino descent and how she and her team are working to provide needed services for healthy outcomes.
As a board-certified general surgeon, when and why did you decide to specialize in breast cancer, specifically in African American women?
The field found me. When I started my career at Luminis Health-DCMC, I was one of the few female surgeons in the county. People started sending me breast cancer patients and that grew into seeing that a lot of the providers in the area were not giving women the attention they deserved. Women had to travel outside the area for good breast care. I wondered why we couldn’t deliver that care here. Since then, I’ve focused on breast cancer care for disparate communities, African American and Latina women. That was 16 years go.
An important distinction is that African American women develop breast cancer less frequently than their White counterparts do, but tend to get it earlier, often under the age of 50 and in a more aggressive form. [The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force] guidelines for breast cancer screenings begin at 50 years old, which we need to change.
In 2014, you co-founded Breast Care for Washington to help decrease the high mortality rate for breast cancer in African American women. How does the organization work?
As a board-certified general surgeon, when and why did you decide to specialize in breast cancer, specifically in African American women?
The field found me. When I started my career at Luminis Health-DCMC, I was one of the few female surgeons in the county. People started sending me breast cancer patients and that grew into seeing that a lot of the providers in the area were not giving women the attention they deserved. Women had to travel outside the area for good breast care. I wondered why we couldn’t deliver that care here. Since then, I’ve focused on breast cancer care for disparate communities, African American and Latina women. That was 16 years go.
An important distinction is that African American women develop breast cancer less frequently than their White counterparts do, but tend to get it earlier, often under the age of 50 and in a more aggressive form. [The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force] guidelines for breast cancer screenings begin at 50 years old, which we need to change.
In 2014, you co-founded Breast Care for Washington to help decrease the high mortality rate for breast cancer in African American women. How does the organization work?
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Breast Care for Washington is a nonprofit that provides screening mammography for women. Our location in Ward 8 was important because the area has one of the highest mortality rates [of breast cancer] in Washington D.C. It was created through a donation and partnership with Hologic, which provides high quality 3D™ images for radiologists. We knew that 3D mammography was the wave of the future, and the women needed the best care. A lot of the women we see take buses and subways to get their mammogram, and it didn’t seem right not to have the best equipment for them.
What’s unique is that our location is embedded in a Federally Qualified Health Center [at the Community of Hope’s Conway Health and Resource Center] where women get their primary care, so they can get their mammogram the same day. Mammogram scheduling was a challenge for many women. They would take time off from work for their primary care visit, then another day off for their mammogram. If medical care is needed, patients are registered via our navigation services. We make a diagnosis and have relationships with other providers with all major breast centers, so they get needed care. |
Pamela Miller, RT-M, Reviewing Mammography Images
Photo Courtesy: Breast Care for Washington |
Mobile Mammography
Photo Courtesy: Breast Care for Washington |
It’s also important to note that women from the community work with us. They connect with the women we see on another level besides the doctor/nurse level. We provide needs beyond medical services. Need childcare? Bring your child with you. Our hours accommodate our patients’ schedules. We’re committed and focused.
Originally, we wanted to do a mobile program to go to where the people were. When we went into partnership with Hologic, they gave us the [immobile] 3D mammogram machine, so we needed a stationary location. We now have a mobile unit with digital mammography equipment that we’re looking into converting to a 3D model soon. The unit was gifted to us from RAD-AID which focuses on mobile medical units and goes all over Prince George’s County and northern Virginia. It’s exciting and definitely a labor of love. It’s great to be able to meet the needs of the community. What kinds of challenges has Breast Care for Washington faced? The beginning was tough. |
A lot of these communities, especially in Ward 8 and Ward 7, are skeptical of new services. They’re not sure of how long you’re going to be here. I had this big machine and wasn’t going to move it. We needed to show them that we were here to stay.
As the community got to know us, they could see that people who live in the community work here — we see you, we know you, and we’re here to serve you. You can cancel and re-cancel your appointment until you can make it. We asked: What’s the problem? Transportation? Childcare? Work? We understand these challenges. Now we have women who have made it a habit to come for their mammogram. We call and check on cancellations. We ask, ‘Are you okay?’ It’s really important, and people feel valued.
The community we need to serve is young. They’re not at the screening age that insurance providers allow for preventative care based on the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force’s guidelines. Specific populations are not taken into consideration. It’s a general approach, and it’s tragic.
I sense that we’ve opened up a conversation and a place where women feel safe. We’re able to talk about myths that prevent women from coming in. We have community events and open doors. We partner with Community of Hope and do free health screenings, face painting, and other fun things and outreach. It’s been great to see women who come back. Some never had a mammogram or had their first one in their 40s or mid-50s. It’s definitely gratifying.
Breast Care for Washington works in partnership with Community of Hope, RAD-AID, Hologic and the Black Women’s Health Imperative, plus has relationships with other medical providers. Why is a multidisciplinary approach to breast cancer prevention important?
The community we need to serve is young. They’re not at the screening age that insurance providers allow for preventative care based on the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force’s guidelines. Specific populations are not taken into consideration. It’s a general approach, and it’s tragic.
I sense that we’ve opened up a conversation and a place where women feel safe. We’re able to talk about myths that prevent women from coming in. We have community events and open doors. We partner with Community of Hope and do free health screenings, face painting, and other fun things and outreach. It’s been great to see women who come back. Some never had a mammogram or had their first one in their 40s or mid-50s. It’s definitely gratifying.
Breast Care for Washington works in partnership with Community of Hope, RAD-AID, Hologic and the Black Women’s Health Imperative, plus has relationships with other medical providers. Why is a multidisciplinary approach to breast cancer prevention important?
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It’s important for cancer care in general. The multidisciplinary term exploded in a good way. There are more resources for the women we serve. You really need to have that direct communication and be that navigator who directs patients to the next level of care. Meetings with other resources provide an advantage to the patient. We learn; we become better providers. We can see things from a radiologist’s perspective and from psychosocial factors that affect care, such as homelessness, a husband who has had a stroke, or providing for aging parents. It helps us think differently about providing care.
We’ve been surprised by how much women, especially African American and Latina women, take on for their families — not just their kids’ care, but also as the primary breadwinner. Often, there are other generations in the same household. Women push themselves to the back burner to care for everyone else. I encourage women to take better care of themselves in order to be better caregivers. If they’re gone, the household falls apart. Even when they have an abnormal diagnosis, they’re still focused on everyone else. |
"Women push themselves to the back burner to care for everyone else. I encourage women to take better care of themselves in order to be better caregivers." ~ Regina Hampton, M.D. |
Working in Screening Room
Photo Courtesy: Breast Care for Washington |
What are the most significant steps we can take individually and collectively, to reduce breast cancer rates in African American women – in all women?
Early diagnosis is a big issue. We continue to push the message. What’s lacking is representation. A lot of Black and Latina women think breast cancer is a White woman’s disease. How many Black or Latina women do we see on T.V. with breast cancer or representation of providers who come from their communities? We have to advocate that the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force create guidelines for all women. Starting screening at 50 is too late for some women. Starting at 40 is too early for others. It’s not a monolithic society. Treat patients in a way that makes sense for their lives. The two biggest risk factors for breast cancer are being a woman and having breasts. Know your family’s history. Have open conversations. Start getting mammograms earlier if breast cancer runs in your family. Live a healthy lifestyle. Limit alcohol and smoking. Exercise a couple of times a week. Weight gain after menopause is a risk factor. |
Where do you find sanctuary?
On my back porch, sitting and looking at the trees and relaxing. I have a 12-year-old, and we find fun things to do around the city. Now we have three generations in our household. It’s been an interesting transition, but a good one.
On my back porch, sitting and looking at the trees and relaxing. I have a 12-year-old, and we find fun things to do around the city. Now we have three generations in our household. It’s been an interesting transition, but a good one.
