Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the United States. One out of eight women will develop breast cancer sometime during their life.
CHF Springfield was pleased to help support the Karen Teusink Integrated Breast Center at the Springfield Cancer Center recently. The integrated breast cancer center was created to provide custom coordinated care consultation to the patient and her loved ones in a soothing, comforting environment. It is designed to accommodate the patient and her loved ones along with her care team which may include the surgeon, radiation and medical oncologists, genetics counselor, and breast navigator in a homelike setting. Most important, the Center eliminates the need for multiple trips on multiple days for individual appointments—instead creating one space where all the specialists meet with the patient and her family on the same day. In addition, distant loved ones may join the appointments virtually. The Karen Teusink Integrated Breast Center is located in the Springfield Cancer Center.
Karen Teusink was a kind, caring, compassionate and vivacious person. Most of all, she was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, teacher, and friend. After fighting breast cancer at the age of 44, Karen was cancer free for 25 years. Unfortunately, Karen was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer in 2018 and lost her battle in February of 2020. Karen’s loving family, led by her husband, Phil, recognized how much nicer and less stressful it would have been to meet with all providers in one place, during one appointment. And thus, their vision and their legacy support, along with caring community partners, became the Karen Teusink Integrated Breast Center.