Beaumont Health System Opens Downriver Cancer Care Center

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Beaumont Health System will open a breast care and imaging services center in Trenton, one of the first of its kind in the Downriver community.  

The Karen Wilson Smithbauer Comprehensive Center for Breast Care is dedicated to Karen Smithbauer, a longtime donor to the Beaumont Health, whose contributions are more than $7 million. Smithbauer survived breast cancer 12 years ago, and wanted to ensure other women going through treatment had a better experience. 

"I had to be my own health care advocate," Smithbauer says. "I did the research, asked the questions, and made sure my care was the best. My experience with my own business in health benefits enabled me to navigate the system, but a lot of women don't know where to begin." 

The center, located on the campus of Beaumont Hospital in Trenton at 5400 Fort St., offers services including bone density testing, mammograms, and biopsies. The center also provides same or next day appointments, two fully-digital rooms, and a patient care navigator to help coordinate supplemental imaging and care.

Along with the nurse navigator, other employees include a genetic counselor and a nurse practitioner. Recruiting is underway for a plastic surgeon.

"We are looking at gaps now in mental health care for women with cancer," Smithbauer says. "There is a range of periods where mental health can affect women: post-partum depression, middle years, during menopause, and through the senior ages."

Jonathan Kaper, M.D., of Superior Township, was named the hospital’s chief medical officer on Monday. He will also serve as the hospital’s patient safety officer and oversee site-related patient safety and quality activities.

The center officially opens Oct. 27 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.