‘70 for 70’ history project: A cut above

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Thursday, October 5, 2023

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‘70 for 70’ history project: A cut above

Mike Scott, mscott@stph.org

Note: This article is part of “70 for 70,” a weekly series of history posts counting down to St. Tammany Health System’s 70th anniversary on Dec. 1, 2024. Today we offer installment No. 9: A cut above.

(STHS photo)

When St. Tammany Parish Hospital first opened its doors in December 1954, the community was understandably ecstatic.

It meant, in most cases, no more hourlong trips around the lake for emergency care. It meant expectant mothers finally had a proper, fully equipped delivery room in which to have their babies. It meant, in short, world-class healthcare, close to home.

But it didn’t take long for hospital leadership to realize they would need more space. They began expanding before the decade was out. Seventy years later, the ribbon-cuttings have yet to stop.

But the one held on Aug. 13, 2002, was different than most. Which brings us to today’s artifact in our 70 for 70 history series. 

Installment No. 9: A cut above

Today’s artifact: A pair of 25-inch-long scissors used in innumerable St. Tammany ribbon-cuttings.

Why it is significant: Today, St. Tammany Health System’s NAPBC-certified Women’s Pavilion – deemed a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology – has long been widely recognized as the premiere destination for comprehensive breast care on the Northshore.

But local women weren’t always so fortunate.

Before health system leadership decided just after the new millennium to establish a clinic specifically for breast care, there was no single comprehensive, go-to Northshore location catering to breast health for local women.

That changed Aug. 13, 2002, when health system leaders used their giant scissors to cut the ribbon on the forerunner to today’s Women’s Pavilion. 

Located in a newly constructed building on St. Ann Drive in Mandeville – the same building now housing our Mandeville Diagnostic Center – that first iteration was known simply as “the Breast Center.” It even boasted its own logo, which incorporated a pink ribbon (signifying breast cancer awareness) along with a pair of embracing hearts, long the symbol of the St. Tammany Health System’s flagship St. Tammany Parish Hospital.

It was such a welcome addition to the local healthcare landscape that it outgrew its original home in less than a decade.

So, leadership set about building a bigger, better facility. In fall 2011, just in time for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, they whipped out those oversized scissors again to cut the ribbon on today’s Women’s Pavilion, which combines leading-edge technology with a calming, spa-like atmosphere near the intersection of U.S. 190 and Interstate 12.

In the years since, the STHS Women’s Pavilion has only continued to grow and add capabilities, including the addition of fellowship-trained radiologists, the purchase of the latest mammography equipment and the establishment in late 2020 of the adjacent Breast Disease and High-Risk Clinic.

In short: The women of St. Tammany Parish have never been better cared-for.

And, with the health system continuing to add facilities at a record pace, those scissors have never been busier.

Scroll down for historic images from the STHS Women’s Pavilion. Do you have a St. Tammany Parish Hospital story or item to share? We’d love to hear about it! Email us at CommDept@stph.org.

St. Tammany Health System dignitaries cut the ribbon on the STHS Breast Center, the forerunner of today’s advanced Women’s Pavilion, on Aug. 13, 2002 (STHS archive)

An artist’s rendering of the STHS Women’s Pavilion, prepared before its opening in fall 2011. (STHS archive)

A member of the construction team works in the lobby of the still-under-construction STHS Women’s Pavilion in June 2011. The pavilion opened its doors later that year. (STHS archive)

Today, the STHS Women’s Pavilion, with its iconic ‘chimney,’ is regarded as the premiere place on the Northshore for comprehensive breast care. (STHS archive)

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