CLEARLAKE, Calif. – About one in every eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in her lifetime.

This staggering statistic is one of the reasons why Adventist Health has added a breast nurse navigator to its cancer care team.

Laurie Schirling, RN, OCN, CN-BC, is a board-certified breast nurse navigator and oncology certified nurse with a long career or serving women and families facing breast cancer.

“My passion is helping those with breast cancer through the transformative process from fear, to fighter, to empowered advocate,” she said.

Schirling began her nursing career nearly three decades ago working in an oncology setting at Duke University Medical Center.

After working across the country as a nursing unit director, oncology outpatient nurse, hospice nurse and house supervisor, she became a breast nurse navigator at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center’s Commission on Cancer-accredited cancer center in Reno, Nevada.

She then moved to California’s Central Valley, where she served patients as director of breast care centers, sleep labs and lung care centers for Adventist Health.

“My role is to break down barriers to the continuum of care,” Schirling said. “I educate patients about their individual cancer journey, to empower them as advocates for their care and support them and their families through survivorship.”

As a breast nurse navigator serving Napa and Lake County residents, Schirling works to streamline patient care, facilitates cancer peer groups and connects with the community to encourage preventative care.

Schirling serves as a support for patients that have abnormal breast imaging studies, such as women who have 3D mammograms at Adventist Health Clear Lake’s outpatient medical imaging center on Lakeshore Boulevard in Clearlake.

After spending a number of years serving patients in Adventist Health’s Central Valley Network, she was ready for a change. When not helping patients, she enjoys kayaking, hiking, being in the outdoors and spending time with her goldendoodle.

To schedule a mammogram in Clearlake, patients may call 707-995-5638. Schirling may be contacted by calling 707-967-7585.