The Sheila R. Veloz Breast Center Celebrates 15 Years of Excellence

 Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital celebrated the 15th anniversary of the Sheila R. Veloz Breast Center at a reception held on the hospital campus this week.  City officials, community supporters and past breast cancer testimonial speakers were in attendance to commemorate the accomplishments and growth of the Breast Center over the years.
Since 2002, the Breast Center has performed 152,700 screening and diagnostic mammograms and 197,400 procedures, including biopsies and ultrasounds.  More than 1,300 breast cancers have been detected, with about 800 of those from screening mammograms. It has also provided services to about 2,300 underinsured and uninsured patients through grants and community philanthropy.
“We’re still the only center in the valley dedicated to breast imaging, offering a level of service that’s unmatched,” according to Terry Bucknall, CRA, who has served as the center’s director of Women’s Imaging Services since it opened. “It has exceeded our expectations in the services we’re providing and the way the community has accepted us.”
Janine Jones still remembers the unease her mom, Sheila Veloz, felt as she awaited her mammogram results. “Sometimes, it took up to two weeks to hear from the doctor, and during that time, she was filled with anxiety until she got that call,” Jones says. “Whether you have breast cancer or not, it doesn’t have to be this horrific, anxiety-ridden event.”
Veloz died of breast cancer in 2001 at the age of 59. Her diagnosis and treatment experiences, as well as those of local breast cancer patients, survivors and their families, served as the inspiration the Sheila R. Veloz Breast Center, which opened its doors in December 2002.
After serving the community for more than 15 years, the center’s goals remain unchanged — to improve access to breast imaging services in the Santa Clarita Valley, reduce the anxiety associated with breast cancer screening and promote early detection in an environment of respect, reliability and sensitivity.
Jones, a North Valencia resident, says her mom would be thrilled with the center that bears her name. “Her whole spirit was about giving back and she would be so honored to know it’s giving back to the community she loved.”