St. Joseph's to discount bone density screenings by $10 May 1-31

Chris Huelskamp (right), a certified densitometry technologist at St. Joseph's Hospital in Breese, completes a bone density check for Norma Voss of Carlyle during a health fair screening sponsored by the hospital this spring. Anyone who had an irregular reading from the health fair bone density screening was encouraged to follow-up with his or her physician for a more comprehensive DXA bone density exam. To encourage more women to have this type of exam, the hospital is offering a $10 discount during May. Huelskamp is certified by the International Society for Clinical Densitometry. As of March, 2008, there were fewer than 150 CDTs in Illinois.

To encourage all women to have these two important tests, St. Joseph's Hospital in Breese will discount a mammogram by $5 and a DXA bone density exam by $10 May 1-31.

Osteoporosis is often called the “silent thief” because it robs bones of strength without the patient's knowledge. The DXA bone density exam can recognize the disease in its early stages when help may be available to maintain bone mass, prevent bone loss and reduce fracture risk.

Staff certified as densitometry technologists by the International Society for Clinical Densitometry perform the exams. Certification requires the medical professional to complete coursework, receive a passing score on scans submitted for review and have completed at least 100 exams before seeking certification.   

The hospital uses a Hologic 4500 SL Bone Densitometer featuring lateral spine screening for the exams. This type of scanning eliminates artifacts such as aortic and spine calcification associated with conventional bone density exams and is more accurate at determining early bone loss.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) recommends a bone density exam for any woman with one or more risk factors.

Risk factors include being older and female; Caucasian or Asian (although African-American and Hispanic women are also at risk); small-boned and weighing less than 127 pounds; having a family or personal history of fractures; one or more chronic diseases; normal or early menopause; using certain medications, tobacco and/or alcohol; receiving inadequate calcium; and getting little or no weight-bearing exercise.

The NOF additionally recommends a bone density test for all women 65 years old and over regardless of risk factors, post-menopausal women who exhibit fractures and women who have been on hormone therapy. Menopausal women are especially susceptible to the disease.

A physician's order is required; appointments are requested. For an appointment, call 526-5396. For more information, contact your physician, Medical Imaging at 618.526-5458 or email Jene Bieri.