Why is a pink tractor parked in front of the hospital?

  • April 11, 2023
A pink,1952 Farmall Super M is parked in front of Brookings Health System for the next week to help make the community aware that breast conserving surgery is now available at Brookings Hospital. Using the newly acquired SAVI SCOUT surgical guidance system, Dr. Sara Marroquin and Brookings Health’s surgical team will perform breast conserving procedures to help save the breasts of local patients with early-stage breast cancer. Community members who take a photo of the tractor and share it on social media will have a chance to win one of two pink toy tractor and trailer sets.
A pink,1952 Farmall Super M is parked in front of Brookings Health System for the next week to help make the community aware that breast conserving surgery is now available at Brookings Hospital. Using the newly acquired SAVI SCOUT surgical guidance system, Dr. Sara Marroquin and Brookings Health’s surgical team will perform breast conserving procedures to help save the breasts of local patients with early-stage breast cancer. Community members who take a photo of the tractor and share it on social media will have a chance to win one of two pink toy tractor and trailer sets.

If you drive past Brookings Health System on 22nd Avenue between now through April 19, you’ll see a pink tractor parked by the West Entrance.

But why?

The 1952 Farmall Super M, which is on loan from Chuck Engelstad of Astoria, S.D., is more than just a photo backdrop for social media feeds. It’s helping Brookings Health “plant the seed” that breast conserving surgery is now available at Brookings Hospital. The new service gives early-stage breast cancer patients one less medical treatment far from home.

Using the newly acquired SAVI SCOUT surgical guidance system, General Surgeon Dr. Sara Marroquin of Avera Medical Group Specialty Care and Brookings Health System’s same-day surgery team will perform breast conserving surgery, also known as lumpectomy, for area breast cancer patients.

The goal of breast conserving surgery is to save the breast. It is often the medically recommended choice for those diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. Patients maintain more normal-looking breasts by limiting the amount of healthy breast tissue removed, giving a better cosmetic result. Treating patients physically with a breast sparing technique also helps them emotionally. By saving the breast, a patient is better able to maintain her sense of self and identity.

SAVI SCOUT, an FDA-approved radar localization technology, pinpoints tumors before surgery and helps Marroquin and the surgery team to only remove cancerous breast tissue. A reflector, about the size of a grain of rice, is placed in the tumor by a radiologist before surgery. The reflector is passive until activated when safe, nonradioactive radar waves are used to detect it within the breast. By seeing exactly where the tumor is ahead of surgery, Marroquin and the operating room team can go straight to the abnormality and more precisely and effectively remove the entire tumor with smaller incisions. The technology also increases the likelihood of complete tumor removal.

Patients who have an abnormal mammogram may be referred to Dr. Marroquin by their primary care provider. Prior to surgery, Marroquin will present patients’ cases to Avera’s tumor board, a team of medical specialists including other surgeons, pathologists, radiologists, and oncologists. Marroquin and the tumor board will determine the best possible cancer treatment and care plan for every patient. In addition, patients are connected to other cancer services as needed, including cancer navigation, oncology and radiation.

Brookings Health System encourages the public to help spread the message about local breast conserving surgery services. Individuals who take a photo of the pink tractor, share it to their social media account, tag @brookingshealth and use the hashtag #ToughEnoughtoDrivePink will be entered to win one of two pink toy tractor and trailer sets.

More information about breast conserving surgery can be found online at brookingshealth.org/BreastSurgery.

About Brookings Health System

Brookings Health System, located in Brookings, South Dakota, includes a 49-bed hospital, the 79-bed The Neighborhoods at Brookview nursing home, Brookhaven Estates senior living apartments, Yorkshire Eye Clinic, and medical clinics in Arlington, White and Volga, South Dakota. It is a non-profit, city-owned facility that offers the community a full range of inpatient, outpatient, emergency and extended care services. Brookings Hospital provides local access to doctors in Brookings and offers robotic da Vinci surgery and Mako robotic-arm assisted procedures, making it one of the premier rural community hospitals in South Dakota. For more information about the services offered at Brookings Health System, please call (605) 696-9000 or visit us on the Web at brookingshealth.org.