Staff

The exceptional standard of care provided at the Telluride Medical Center is possible only because of our dedicated staff. All businesses in Telluride find it a challenge to maintain a well qualified, consistent staff. The medical center is not immune to this problem. Over the years TMC has struggled to recruit trained nurses, radiology technologists, Patient Assistant and other ancillary staff. Plagued by high rents and few affordable housing options in Telluride, TMC is lucky to have the dedicated staff that we do.  This is especially true given that all of our employees are asked to take on additional responsibilities not required of them in larger facilities with fewer staffing demands.

With an average of 15 years of experience, TMC’s nursing staff is a formidable team.  Our most senior nursing employee, Dawn Atherton, is an integral part of the Telluride community, having moved here from Michigan a decade ago.  Though just as  challenging as finding a dedicated employee in this town is finding a dedicated man, Dawn struck gold when she met Dusty, the love of her life, here at the Medical Center in 2002, while he was transporting a patient here as a ski patroller.  Together they are thrilled to be raising their daughter Kassidy in these beautiful mountains.

Assisting the Primary Care docs, running the lab and immunization program and helping out in the ER when needed, TMC’s Medical Assistants are a vital conduit between patients and providers, balancing the flow and keeping the providers on track.  Becky Padilla, who’s worked for the Medical Center on and off for the past 20 years, certainly has the most interesting stories to tell.  A 5th generation Telluridian, with miners, madams, and pool hall piano players in her family line, she follows in her great grandmother’s footsteps, who was a mining nurse in her time.  Telluride High School’s Homecoming Queen in 1977, Becky still rules the roost at the Medical Center, wearing the proverbial tiara in true royal fashion.

The radiology department is comprised of three full time and one part time technologist.  We are fortunate to have technologists that average 20 + years of experience in radiology, encompassing plain film radio graphs, CAT scanning, MRI, nuclear medicine, mammography, cardiovascular and special procedures. Cheryl Fitzhugh is the Telluride area’s only resident “rad tech”, with the others traveling here from as far away as Cedaredge to provide radiology services for our community at all times, day and night.

Patient Assistance is the frontline of patient care. Fielding 25,000 phone calls per year and scheduling 14,000 appointments, Patient Assistance, AKA the “Front Desk”, is considered one of the more difficult jobs at the Medical Center.  Premier multi-taskers, meeting the plethora of demands both in front of and behind the desk, the Patient Assistance team manage to maintain a smile and a good dose of humor throughout their busy days.  One of our Patient Assistant staff, Beth Kuperman, plays an important role also as medical interpreter, patient navigator and community cultural liaison. Beth leads our efforts to provide services for the non-English speaking, largely Hispanic, community that comprises the base of the service and construction industry in Telluride.

A special mention should be made of Pam McCreedy, AKA “Legs”, who’s endured two and a half decades of change at the Medical Center, wearing a number of ever-evolving hats.  Pam has consistently, and quite remarkably, embraced these changes with an unwaveringly positive attitude throughout.  Not only is Pam a beloved matriarch at the Medical Center, she also became a mother here in the ER, delivering daughter Kelsey, breech, in 1987 with the help of Dr Judy Ingalls.   

Other indispensable support staff that help keep the Medical Center running smoothly include our accounting department’s Julie Wesseling and Terri Mahannah;  Eric Adolphi, Plant Maintenance and IT.

History: Frontier Medicine and the Evolution of Doctoring

The Doctors

Staff