HMH celebrates new life-saving technology - Elizabethtown News Enterprise

Local community lea­­­ders last week had their first look at Hardin Mem­orial Health’s newest ad­vancement in medical technology.

Hardin Memorial Health and Hardin Mem­­­or­ial Health Foun­dation officials hosted community leaders on Thursday to celebrate the arrival of new 3-D mammography equipment and the donors who made the in­vestment possible.

The Hardin Memorial Health Foundation raised $110,000 to help pay for 3-D mammography.

Local entrepreneur Kelly Emerine’s $80,000 gift in July inspired Foun­­dation Board member Mike Bowers to call on other local entrepreneurs to also donate to help cover the more than $2.2 million total 3-D Mammography cost.

“By funding equipment like this, we all can help save lives and pro­vide the very best care close to home,” foundation Chairman Joe Prather said. “We are grateful for leaders like Mike who issued this challenge ... and most of all, to Kelly and Brian Emerine for setting the incredible example for all of us to follow.”

HMH Radiologist Dr. Sarah Callahan said the addition of 3-D mammo­graphy is a major step forward for Central Ken­tuc­kians.

Callahan said the technology helps to de­tect cancer at a higher rate and at a smaller size, which helps save lives. She said it also helps lower recall rates and al­lows radiologists to read the mam­mography screens like the pages of book providing clearer images and more detail.

Pending FDA approval, 3-D mammography at HMH should be available by the end of the year.

Also at Thursday’s eve­nt, Sen. Dennis Par­rett honored the late Dr. As­tra Kidd with a Senate Ci­tation. Kidd was the first female physician in Har­din County and at Hardin Memorial Hospital.

Kidd’s goddaughter, Robin Wharton, a veterinarian and equine acupuncturist from Lex­ing­ton, accepted the special rec­ognition on Kidd’s behalf. Kidd died earlier this year at age 82. She joined the hospital staff in the 1970s and practiced medicine for more than 20 years in Hardin County.

“This is such a wonderful honor for my god­mother,” Wharton said. “She was a pioneer in her field and such an inspiration to so many others.”

Parrett said when he learned of Kidd’s many “firsts” and lasting contri­butions to the communi­ty and to medicine, he felt compelled to recognize her with the honor.

“There is a saying that you cannot be what you cannot see,” Parrett said. “Dr. Kidd defied the odds, stepped out in faith and paved the way for the women who practice medicine at HMH and across Central Kentucky.”

Parrett said Kidd was born in Latvia and immi­grated to the United States through Canada. The then president of Ber­ea College, Francis S. Hutchins, sponsored Kidd’s family into the Uni­ted States. She later studied at Berea and Col­­um­bia University and then obtained her med­ical degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine.

Kidd also obtained her master’s degree in public health from the Uni­versity of Michigan and was a leader in the Hardin County Health Department for many years.

Dennis Johnson, HMH pre­sident and CEO, also at the event in­troduced new physicians joining the HMH Medical Group and the overall HMH medical staff this year.

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