The Northwest Indiana Breast Care Center at Methodist Hospitals is known for being the first center in Indiana to use the 3-D mammography technology for breast health. Mammography Technologist Pam Daly is proud to be a part of that accomplishment.
Daly first started at the Northlake campus of Methodist Hospitals after graduating from Indiana University Northwest with an Associates degree in Radiologic Sciences in 2000. She was attracted to the center’s mission to obtaining the best, most up-to-date information and equipment to best serve the women in Northwest Indiana.
She chose the medical field, and more specifically the radiology field, to help and interact with people, and the NWIBCC provided just that. In 2002, she became a registered Mammography Technologist, enhancing her skills in the field.
“Northlake had the most up-to-date equipment at that time, since they were in a testing mode for the region, and I really liked that,” she said. “I didn’t want to stick with the old stuff, I wanted to work with the new stuff. That just made sense to me.”
The center continues to keep up with the latest news and services on breast health, which is how they became the first center to use the 3-D technology.
“When they came out with the 3-D mammogram machine, they first tested them in teaching hospitals, then they are approved by the government. When that technology was approved, we were the first ones to have it in the state of Indiana,” she explained. “We are always going to be the first because that’s how it is. We were paying attention and had it lined up and were ready.”
Daly said she and her fellow staff members are grateful for the new technology.
Everyday, Daly performs mammograms, follow-up visits, and bone density tests on patients. The day varies when a patient comes in who needs further work or requires a special kind of procedure.
When walking through the halls of the center, Daly said it is a continuous stream of friendliness, which attracted her to Methodist in the first place.
“When I went to check out the Northlake campus (in 2000) everybody was so friendly. Everyone walks around and says ‘Hello,’ - both the staff and the patients,” she said. “People stop to help you, they ask how you are, and they still do that now.”
It is a little community, and within each department, there is a family where everybody works together. I just really like the atmosphere.”
Daly and her staff help host the many events held in the center and throughout Northwest Indiana. Some are social and some are more educational, and Daly enjoys meeting with people to teach them about breast health.
“I enjoy going to all of them that I go to. We get to interact with people, help educate them, and explain things,” she said. “Sometimes we offer testing at events - like the bone density test - so we give them a little sample of what we do and get them checked.”
For women who have never had a 3-D mammogram, Daly makes sure her patients are prepared for what they are going to see, hear, and feel.
“I like to explain how it works because the machine is a little different - it looks different and sounds different - and it’s easier for the patients to know what is going to happen,” she explained.
The 3-D technology is faster and more comfortable for the patients and is easier to work with for the radiologists, but it is also innovative and presents new information on a sensitive subject. In addition, Daly aims to have every patient feel prepared and relaxed every step of the way.
That love of helping people and interacting with people can be seen again on holidays and family get-togethers, where Daly spends time immersed with her own family. Always the cook – which is okay, since she truly does enjoy cooking – Daly and her family like to celebrate special days, from the big holidays like Christmas to simple out-door picnics.
She has traveled the world, having visited England, Italy and France, and enjoys learning about the history of places in the U.S. However, it is in Northwest Indiana, surrounded by family, where she truly loves to be.
For more information on the Northwest Indiana Breast Care Center at Methodist Hospitals, click here.
