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MaryEllen Locher Breast Center Opens New Hixson Location

CHI Memorial MaryEllen Locher Breast Center has moved its Hixson location to a new, state-of-the art location in the Plaza Building at CHI Memorial Hospital.
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CHATTANOOGA, TN (October 1, 2025) -The MaryEllen Locher Breast Center, a leading provider of breast imaging services in the region, has moved its Hixson location to a new, state-of-the art center.  The new location is in the Plaza Building at CHI Memorial Hospital Hixson and offers comprehensive breast care for women in the Chattanooga area. 

The new Hixson location offers a full range of services, including:

  • 3D Mammography (tomosynthesis)
  • breast ultrasound
  • stereotactic and ultrasound breast biopsies
  • bone density scans
  • CHI Memorial Breast Care Associates clinic
  • Oasis waiting areas
  • and a boutique.

The new MaryEllen Locher Breast Center at CHI Memorial Hospital Hixson was made possible through $2 million in contributions from sponsors and donors of the Pink! gala. 

“We are particularly proud to unveil the Mark Hite Family Waiting Room in the new center.  To honor the legacy of a person who was instrumental in raising funds for the center but also made such a huge mark on caring for others. I know he would be so pleased to see how many families will be embraced with warmth and healing in this space,” Jennifer Nicely, CHI Memorial Foundation president.

The advantages of 3D mammography

All MaryEllen Locher Breast Center locations, including both mobile mammography coaches, provide an enhanced screening experience with 3D mammography, which delivers significant advantages in breast cancer screening:

  • Enhanced visualization: 3D mammography allows our radiologists to view breast tissue in greater detail, minimizing the impact of overlapping tissue and improving overall visualization.
  • Improved detection: Studies have demonstrated that 3D mammography can lead to increased detection rates of certain breast cancers.
  • Personalized care: 3D mammography allows us to provide a more personalized and comprehensive screening experience for each patient.

The MaryEllen Locher Breast Center has four locations, plus two mobile mammography coaches that travel around the Chattanooga area.

The MaryEllen Locher Breast Center follows the American College of Radiology guidelines for mammograms:

  • Women should have a risk assessment by age 25 to determine if earlier or more frequent screening, such as with MRI, is necessary.
  • Women at average risk for breast cancer should start getting yearly mammograms at age 40.
  • Women with a higher risk of breast cancer may need to begin screening earlier and/or more frequently, potentially with MRI in addition to mammograms. 

To schedule a screening mammogram appointment at any MaryEllen Locher Breast Center location, call (423) 495-4040.  Returning patients can schedule an appointment online through the CommonSpirit (My Chart) patient portal.

To ensure early detection for all, the MaryEllen Locher Breast Center, in partnership with programs like the Tennessee Breast and Cervical Screening Program, Georgia Breast and Cervical Cancer Program, and the Susan G. Komen Foundation, offers year-round financial assistance for breast screenings to eligible uninsured and under-insured women, including coverage for diagnostic work-ups if an abnormality is found.

The MaryEllen Locher Breast Center, Chattanooga’s only comprehensive breast center, is accredited by the American College of Radiology and dedicated to providing advanced technology in a comfortable and supportive environment for all patients.

About CHI Memorial

CHI Memorial, a member of CommonSpirit, is a not-for-profit, faith-based healthcare organization dedicated to the healing ministry of the Church. Founded by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, it offers a continuum of care including preventative, primary and acute hospital care, as well as cancer, cardiac, neuroscience, and stroke care, and orthopedic and rehabilitation services. CHI Memorial is a regional referral center of choice with 4,700 employees and almost 500 affiliated physicians providing health care throughout Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia. To learn more, visit commonspirit.org/memorial.