North Valley Hospital has received a sizable donation toward its effort to improve the accuracy of breast screenings at the hospital.

The $150,000 gift from the Broussard family will go toward the hospital’s $500,000 goal to secure a 3-D mammography machine. The unit provides better accuracy and should result in a reduction in false positive tests for women and men, according to the hospital. The current two-dimensional equipment is at the end of its life.

Alan Satterlee, executive director of the North Valley Hospital Foundation, said the gift from the Broussard family has successfully initiated the ambitious campaign to ensure more men and women have access to better breast cancer screening technology.

“We would like to recognize the Broussard family for their continued leadership and generosity in providing philanthropic support to health related projects in the Flathead Valley,” he said in a prepared release. “The Broussards have helped to create a culture of giving in our community, which has impacted many sectors, including healthcare.”

The hospital hopes to have the imagining equipment by the end of the year.

The North Valley Hospital Foundation has set up a committee of volunteers to assist in leading the campaign efforts, and is still actively recruiting committee member volunteers. The committee meets twice a month to organize events and coordinate efforts with employees, the hospital, and the community.

The North Valley Hospital Foundation has also been selected to participate in the Whitefish Community Foundation’s Great Fish Community Challenge, which kicks off on July 20. The foundation hopes to raise the remaining $300,000 for the breast exam equipment and gifts made through the Great Fish that earmarked for the North Valley Hospital Foundation will go directly to the project.

“I hope that our community of employees, associated physicians, and other healthcare workers in Whitefish, Columbia Falls, Kalispell, and Eureka can help make this project a reality,” said Christina Thomas, CEO of North Valley Hospital. “This will be a wonderful benefit to our entire service area, and we hope there will be strong support for this project. It’s great to know there is leadership in giving that will be followed up by a wide segment of the community giving to the best of their ability, through financial gifts or volunteering for this campaign.”

North Valley Hospital has partnered with affiliate hospital Kalispell Regional Medical Center’s Bass Breast Center as well as Northwest Imaging, a private group of radiologists, for the campaign.

The Broussard family supports many breast cancer related causes through Halt Cancer at X, a charity started by Sarah Broussard in 2012. Halt Cancer at X, which is associated with The Event at Rebecca Farm, funds both local projects and national cancer research and has granted approximately $400,000 to date. This year, The Event at Rebecca Farm will be held July 19-23.

For more information about donating or volunteering for the campaign committee, call Pam Ellis, North Valley Hospital Foundation Executive Assistant, at (406) 863-3630 or Alan Satterlee, North Valley Hospital Foundation Executive Director, at (406) 863-3560 or email [email protected].