Mammography Returns to the Ridge at Feather River Health Center

Hanging on one wall of the new Women’s Imaging center at Adventist Health’s Feather River Health Center is a framed quilt featuring colorful flowers blooming over layers of intricate, black-and-white floral patterns. For Valerie Cleary, RT, the center’s lead mammography technologist, the quilt is a strong reminder of the Ridge’s resilience. It originally hung in the mammography center in Paradise as a gift from the local quilt shop, Morning Star Quilts, and was carefully preserved – waiting for a new place to be seen and enjoyed.

“This quilt survived the fire, and has now come full circle with us,” Valerie noted. She worked at the previous mammography center since 2003. The past few years, with no mammography services being offered in Butte County, she has commuted to work at other Adventist Health locations. Now, she has returned to Paradise to oversee mammography and DEXA Scans (the latter are used to measure bone density and detect osteoporosis) at the new Women’s Imaging center. Bringing these services back to the community has been an important part of Adventist Health’s commitment to caring for this community.

“For the last few years, patients have had to go off the ridge to obtain a mammogram,” she shared. “Women tend to hate having mammograms done,” Valerie continued, “so any kind of excuse or barrier makes it even harder.

Cleary said it’s critically important for women to get regular mammograms: “It’s essential for women—and even men, as some do get breast cancer—to be aware of their breast health,” she explained. “The main reason is to catch breast cancer early. People need to keep up on their monthly self-exams, regular check-ups, and annual mammograms.

As a veteran mammographer, Cleary has seen the techniques evolve, and said the Paradise center uses top-of-the-line tech: 3D imaging, which includes tomosynthesis. This enables the scans to take images of 1-millimeter slices of the breast, so the doctor can look at all the layers, which means the scans provide more details and can catch earlier evidence of anything that might cause concerns.

The Women’s Imaging center at Adventist Health’s Feather River Health Center (5125 Skyway, Paradise, CA) will host an Open House on October 17, 2024 from 4 - 6 p.m. Take a look at all of the services offered at Adventist Health Feather River.