LIBERTY, Mo. — Dr. Amy Patel, medical director of the new Breast Care Center at Liberty Hospital, cut the ribbon on the state-of-the-art facility Tuesday with notable guests like Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas on hand to help celebrate the milestone.

“We’re going to catch more cancers. We’re going to save more lives,” Patel told FOX4.

Patel successfully pressured Missouri lawmakers to offer 3D mammogram imaging technology to all women, regardless of their insurance.

“We know that early detection is so crucial,” Patel said.

The new clinic will meet the growing need for comprehensive breast care in Kansas City’s Northland and northwest Missouri.

“There was such an expanse of subspecialized breast care, particularly more south of the metro,” Patel explained. “But there was such a paucity of subspecialized expert breast care in the Northland.”

Lucas was effusive in his praise.

“Liberty Hospital provides care, not to just a lot of people in the Kansas City region but all of western Missouri and eastern Kansas,” Lucas said. “And they have always been leaders in women’s health ever since I was a kid.”

Patel further explained how the new technology will help to save lives for years to come.

“We know if we find a breast cancer when it’s less than 1 centimeter, the survival probability is over 95%,” she said. “Whereas, if we have a breast cancer that’s 5 centimeters, their survival probability plummets to about 5%.”

Patel will team up with FOX4 this Saturday for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life at South Valley Middle School in Liberty. The event begins at 5 p.m.