The most rewarding and most challenging parts of their jobs as mammography technologists both happen because Kelda Combs and Kally May Belton are fifth-generation Routt County residents.

The fact that the women know many other women in the Yampa Valley is a blessing for patients at UCHealth Gloria Gossard Breast Care Center to help them feel at ease during important breast health screenings. Yet, it’s also a blow for the caring mammographers when they learn someone they know is diagnosed with breast cancer.

During 2023, 44 patients were diagnosed with breast cancer at UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center. Last year 35 patients had breast cancer-related surgeries at YVMC, and 5,211 total mammograms, both screening and diagnostic, were completed last year.

The warm and friendly technicians who started their jobs in December are both Steamboat Springs High School graduates, although a few decades apart. Combs went to high school with Belton’s dad.

Their many connections in the community strengthen their compassion and caring for women receiving mammograms, which is recommended to start at age 40 unless they are high risk.

“I found a deep sense of fulfillment in this specialty, knowing that my work directly contributes to our community’s health and well-being,” Belton said. “The ability to make a positive impact through quality images that leads to early detection and accurate diagnosis in breast imaging is something I am truly passionate about.”

Belton, a 24-year-old former dental assistant, said she genuinely loves interacting with members of the community each day.

“Engaging with patients and helping them navigate their health journey is both rewarding and inspiring,” Belton said. “This field not only aligns with my interests but also allows me to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives while connecting with the community on a personal level.”

Both technologists were recruited to work at the hospital when they were still finishing radiography school by Nurse Manager Sanaya Sturm, who works at the breast care center downstairs and the Jan Bishop Cancer Center just upstairs. That recruitment is part of the hospital’s “grow your own” effort to hire high-quality, locally based employees and then help those employees further identify their specific health care passion and support additional training as necessary.

“UCHealth has given Kally and me a great opportunity to learn mammography on the job,” Combs said. “They supported us with taking our mammo courses, sending us to other UCHealth facilities to get our clinical experience and supporting us on learning and creating a great team.”

Sturm is especially pleased with the new employees after having a full-time mammographer position go unfilled for more than two years and employing a mix of as-needed technicians. Another mammographer moved out of Steamboat, in part due to high housing costs, Sturm said.

The technologists can perform up to 15 mammograms a day, but what is unique at the breast imaging center in Steamboat is appointment slots are 30 minutes, rather than the 15-minute slots found at most larger facilities. That allows a more personal touch and sufficient time to gather important health background details and provide other referral information.

Combs has a personal connection to her passion for screenings because she endured her own breast health scare.

“During school, I was able to shadow multiple modalities with mammo, CT and nuclear medicine being my favorites,” Combs said. “I had the breast scare while in radiography school and that is what helped me to pick mammo as my modality of choice.”

Now Combs is enrolled in breast ultrasound school with UCHealth staff supporting her interests to explore more modalities to help support women’s health care in Routt County. Combs’ daughter saw how much her mom loved radiography, and her daughter changed her major to radiography and will graduate in May 2025.

The comment the technicians say they hear from patients most often is, “We have to do this every single year?”

“Yes,” they confidently and kindly reply, “because early detection is best.”

“The supportive environment and collaborative spirit within our team have been incredibly motivating,” Belton said. “With all the comprehensive training and encouragement I’ve received, I feel well-prepared and enthusiastic about continuing to serve this community alongside such a remarkable group of professionals.”