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We’re here to help.
If you
or a loved one has concerns
about breast health, call us
at
661-323-4673 (HOPE)
.
Whatever it is, we’re here
for you.
The Breast Center at San Joaquin
Community Hospital (SJCH) provides
comprehensive breast cancer care. From
screening to treatment, everything is avail-
able in one place. So you won’t have to
travel across Kern County or farther to get
the care you need—delivered with compas-
sion you can feel.
TOP-OF-THE-LINE CARE
Our highly skilled oncologists, surgeons and
radiologists specialize in breast health. And
our affiliation with UC Davis offers additional
access to new and innovative treatments.
YOUR CARE OPTIONS INCLUDE:
Genetic counseling to explain the role
your genes might play
Chemotherapy in our soothing, calm
infusion suites
Radiation that precisely targets your
cancer, while sparing healthy tissue
Advanced surgical techniques
EVERY STEP OF THE WAY
Throughout treatment, we’re here to help.
Your entire team is focused on your health
and healing. You also have your own nurse
navigator to guide you through your care—
coordinating your therapies and answering
any questions.
Meet Francesca Hoehne, MD
Medical Director, The Breast Center at San Joaquin Community Hospital
We’re focused
on YOU
Francesca
Hoehne, MD
Medical Director,
The Breast Center
Francesca Hoehne, MD, is a
general surgeon specializing in
the treatment of breast disease.
She is one of the only female
fellowship-trained breast
surgeons in Kern County.
Dr. Hoehne graduated from the
University of Chicago Pritzker
School of Medicine. She com-
pleted her residency at Kern
Medical Center in Bakersfield
and a breast surgery fellow-
ship at the John Wayne Cancer
Institute in Los Angeles. After
time as a private practice breast
surgeon at Huntington Memorial
Hospital in Pasadena, Dr. Hoehne
returned to Bakersfield in 2007.
Q
You specialize in treating women with
breast cancer. What made you choose
this area of medicine?
A
I feel called to take care of women with
breast cancer—and their families. I make
lasting connections with my patients. I continue
to see them after their treatment is finished. It’s
so fulfilling to take cancer out of a patient, help
her heal from the inside out and be part of her
emotional healing.
Q
You were practicing at a well-known
hospital in Los Angeles. What made
you return to Bakersfield?
A
I did my residency in Bakersfield,
and I met my husband here.
Then I did my fellowship and went into
private practice in Los Angeles. I came
back to Bakersfield to serve the com-
munity. There wasn’t a specialized
breast surgeon here, and I felt
it would be a unique opportu-
nity to provide a new type of
care to the community.
Q
What’s your personal
mission as a doctor?
A
To make a difference
and help people. It’s
as simple as that. It’s using my
talents to help women through
a really difficult time. I work
with everyone as an individual.
I enjoy identifying each of
my patient’s special needs…
and bringing and guiding her
through the whole process,
from start to finish.
Q
How are you working to change breast
care in Kern County?
A
I want to bring new oncology techniques
to the community, but it goes beyond that.
It’s starting at the beginning, asking how can we
better identify and help high-risk patients with
the many options we have today, such as genetic
testing and genetic counseling.
It’s providing services from the moment a
woman schedules her mammogram through
treatment and then past that, with yoga, support
groups, etc. It’s also removing barriers to care and
providing support, like transportation to and from
radiation or chemotherapy appointments, and
help with finding wigs, mastectomy gar-
ments and other things. It’s making sure
patients have the best and most compre-
hensive care possible.