By KALEY CONNER

kconner@dailynews.net

Most days, Deb Miller can be found behind the wheel of one of Hays Medical Center's mobile ultrasound vans, visiting patients in many area hospitals.

But Friday afternoon, Miller donned an apron and was busily serving up cake to the many visitors gathered inside the DeBakey Heart Institute. The hospital was celebrating 30 years of mobile services and Miller, who's worked in mobile ultrasound for 29 years, has seen many changes.

"It's pretty amazing when you think of where we started from," Miller said. "We started with a nuclear medicine machine and an ultrasound machine in a van together."

Today, Hays Med's mobile fleet consists of four mobile ultrasound vans, a general nuclear medicine unit and truck, a cardiac nuclear medicine unit and truck, and a digital mobile mammography service.

In 1979, Hadley Hospital partnered with Great Plains Health Alliance to create a mobile medicine service to provide care in rural areas. HMC was formed when Hadley and St. Anthony hospitals merged in 1992.

The first two vehicles traveled to seven northwest Kansas counties, a number that has nearly quadrupled since then. The goal is to keep area residents close to home and reduce travel time, said Julie Michaelis, a nuclear medicine technician.

"The people I've talked to, they're just so glad that we come to their hospitals because it's ownership to them," Michaelis said. "The patients take pride and are very faithful to come out there."

Three decades ago, the concept of mobile imaging services was relatively new. It's much more common today, but Hays Med has made efforts to maintain its position on the cutting edge.

A new, digital mobile mammography unit has been on the road since Sept. 16. That makes Hays Med the first hospital in the state to offer mobile direct digital mammography services, said Brenda Gross, mammography supervisor.

The hospital's first mobile mammography service was started in the 1980s, and both the truck and the technology were nearing the end of life, Gross said. The digital equipment has improved image quality and made it possible for radiologists to make more definite diagnoses, she said.

"It's a lot better way to view these images... Rather than getting something that is going to be outdated and is outdated, we went with the best technology out there," Gross said.

The HMC Foundation stepped up to help raise funds for the project, contributing about $684,000. Executive Director Ruth Heffel said donations were received from every county the mammography truck visits.

"It's the fastest campaign I've ever run for that amount of money," she said. "People were very excited about it and they see the need out there."

Last year alone, Hays Med's mobile services were utilized by more than 10,000 patients. Mammography alone averages about 3,000 exams annually, with an average of more than 6,000 patients receiving ultrasound services each year.

And for Miller, it's the patients that make her job so worthwhile.

"You have that time with the patients; you get to know them and be part of their lives and help them out," she said. "That's just the best."