VALLEY CITY, ND — A new mammography location is making health care much easier for area residents.

The new location inside CHI Mercy Health in Valley City makes the process much more convenient. Before, elderly and disabled patients struggled with the stairs leading to a mobile outdoor unit, which also had tight spaces inside. And, of course, the cold weather.

That was Kathy Nelson’s reality before she heard about an initiative by CHI Mercy Health.

“I looked at it, I said, ‘Well, there’s no way I’m going to get to it,'” she said of the outdoor unit. “We’re going to have to go to Fargo if I want this done. And I told one of the nurses, and they said, “Well, yeah, they’re working on one.” “

CHI Mercy Health’s updated $600,000 indoor location has everything patients need on one floor, including a changing station, handy gown warmer, and snacks and beverages.

“It was a nice experience to know that they have something like this now and for people like me and others who will benefit from it,” Nelson said.

She was the first patient to use the new space and machine a week ago.

Now she and others have more space and a state-of-the-art mammography machine.

“We can set it where we absolutely need to and say this is where the study needs to be for us to get a quality picture,” said Ryan Fowler, president of CHI Mercy Health. “However, the more compression you use on this machine, the better image you get.”

CHI Mercy Health will hold a public open house from 4:00pm to 6:00pm on Thursday, November 14th.

My name is Noah Losing and I am from Oxbow, ND. I graduated in the spring of 2024 from Grand Canyon University where I studied Communications with an emphasis in Broadcasting and New Media. I had the opportunity to be the president of the Future Broadcasters club on campus, where I supervised over 40 students in a bi-weekly newscast. After a summer news internship in Tucson, AZ, I found my home again at WDAY.