Via Christi to Establish Comprehensive Breast Center

Via Christi is bringing its specialized and compassionate breast care services together under one roof with the creation of the Comprehensive Breast Center at Ascension Via Christi on Founders' Circle. The center, a first-of-its-kind care center in south central Kansas, is made possible in part by a significant investment from the Via Christi Foundation and its generous community donors.

More than just a new facility, the Comprehensive Breast Center reflects a strategic evolution toward a more integrated, multidisciplinary model of care. The facility will combine screening, diagnostics, navigation, wellness and support services in a single location to improve coordination of care, reduce travel between sites and support timely access to evaluation and follow-up. By centralizing these services, the center is designed to collapse the time between a concerning finding and the start of treatment.

The 5,800-square-foot center will house a multidisciplinary team including plastic surgeons, specialized radiologists, and nurse navigators. Services include:

• Screening and diagnostic mammography, ultrasound and MRI breast studies, including MRI-guided biopsy and needle localization
• DEXA room to complete bone density scans
• Survivorship and rehabilitation services, including lymphedema screening

"The innovation behind this is not about creating new services - it's about bringing existing expertise together in a way that improves continuity of care and reduces barriers for patients," said Christopher Dodson, Via Christi's chief strategy officer. "By combining services in one location, patients can get the care they need with fewer appointments and less travel between sites."

While the new center provides a hub for diagnostics, Via Christi remains committed to broad community access. Screening mammography will continue to be offered at several locations across Wichita and via "Hope", the mobile mammography bus, which provides essential screenings to underserved and rural populations to ensure early detection remains accessible to all.

A Legacy of Community Giving

The center represents the next step in the Via Christi Foundation's long-term investment in Kansas women. This commitment began with providing most of the funds for "Hope". The new facility builds on that mission, providing a permanent home for the specialized diagnostics and follow-up care patients need after an initial screening.

"The Comprehensive Breast Center is the evolution of our commitment to care for women across our state," said David Alexander, president of the Via Christi Foundation. "Our donors first took screening into the community with our mobile unit. Now, their generosity is creating a healing space where patients find both leading-edge technology and the spiritual support essential for healing."

Timeline

Renovations are scheduled to begin in June 2026 and are expected to be completed in early 2027.