As the Santa Barbara Breast Care Alliance (SBBCA) enters its tenth year as a breast care Center of Excellence, the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) granted the Alliance another three-year full accreditation. This breast care center “without walls” achieved initial certification in 2010 and was re-accredited in 2013 and 2016. This recognition is provided only after a rigorous evaluation process, including an on-site review of performance to ensure high standards in leadership, clinical management, research, patient supportive care, professional education and quality improvement.
“We’re excited to celebrate the re-accreditation of our extraordinary, collaborative breast care program here in Santa Barbara and our tenth year of working together to ensure excellent patient care. Our weekly multi-disciplinary breast cancer conference is the centerpiece of our program. Our patients benefit greatly from the collaboration of our breast cancer specialists, including our breast surgeons, reconstructive surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, clinical research staff, genetic counselors, patient navigators, oncology dietitian nutritionists, social workers, physical therapists and lymphedema specialists,” remarked Fred Kass, MD, Ridley-Tree Cancer Center Director of Medical Oncology and chair of the Alliance for the past three years. “It’s been my privilege to lead this extraordinary group of practitioners in our continuing effort to provide the highest level of patient centered care.”
“This program is a testament to the highly-qualified, dedicated and compassionate breast care team that exemplifies our medical community. As a part of our program, we set annual quality and programmatic improvement goals to ensure we are constantly improving and staying at the leading edge of breast medicine. It is a joy to work with this team and a comfort to know that friends and family in our community are receiving the best care possible,” said fellowship-trained breast pathologist Dr. Lauren Jacobson. Dr. Jacobson is currently the Cottage Health Director of Breast Pathology and was chair of the Alliance from 2013 to 2016.
NAPBC-accredited centers are leading organizations in their field. They guarantee patients comprehensive care from a coordinated team close to home, as well as access to state-of-the-art technology and the latest clinical trials and treatment options. The SBBCA brings together its coalition of breast care specialists from Sansum Clinic, Ridley-Tree Cancer Center, Pueblo Radiology Medical Group, Santa Barbara Women’s Imaging Center, Cottage Center for Advanced Imaging and several private practice groups here on the central coast. This highly-experienced, multi-disciplinary team offers prompt, personalized, compassionate care for those with breast health concerns. At their weekly breast care conference meetings, members of this group evaluate and discuss complex breast cancer cases.
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Santa Barbara Breast Care Alliance (SBBCA) ensures that breast cancer patients receive thoughtful, coordinated care from an interdisciplinary team of breast disease specialists. The SBBCA exemplifies the continued strong commitment of providers in Santa Barbara to offer the highest quality breast care possible. For more information about the Santa Barbara Breast Care Alliance, visit
www.sbbca.org