Building for a Healthy Tomorrow: A Mini-Campaign for Advanced MRI Services

Increased Capabilities, Conveniences, and Comforts

Grinnell Regional Medical Center is commited to providing the best care to our patients through technology and exceptional staff. The latest investment in this commitment is a planned upgrade to a new 1.5 tesla magnetic resonance imaging unit (MRI). We need your support to raise $200,000 to complete this project.

Your Health Can’t Wait

Numerous reasons exist for GRMC’s decision to upgrade our MRI services. At the end of the day, it all comes down to one thing: You. A new MRI will help our patients with:

• More Options
  The new unit can perform several exams not available with our current mobile equipment, including abdominal scans, soft tissue pelvis exams, angiography, neurological vascular images, gallbladder/biliary system studies, and more.
  
• Reduced Exam Time
  The new MRI unit will reduce exam time by one-third or more. A typical lumbar scan in our current unit takes 45 to 60 minutes. It will take just 30 to 35 minutes with the new unit.
  
• Quiet Time
  If you’ve had an MRI in the past, you know they can be loud. The new league of MRI units has advanced significantly in housing materials and size, plus our unit will have a built-in sound system with headphones to help reduce the noise level. The reduced scanning time also helps reduce the duration the patient hears the scan.
  
• Convenient Location
  One of the best features for patients will be the MRI’s new location inside GRMC. Analysis of the best location is currently underway. To the patient, the big benefit will be the ability to remain inside the building and not have to walk outside to the mobile unit.
  
• Patient-Friendly Design
  The new MRI unit design is smaller and reduces the claustrophobic feeling some patients experience when in an MRI unit. The new unit will also allow most exams to be performed “feet first.” This is an important psychological benefit to the patient because their head may remain outside the equipment during most types of exams.
• Safe Technology
  MRI uses magnetic fields and radio frequency waves to create an image, offering a non-invasive exam that minimizes the risks of incisions, injections, or reactions. No radiation is used in this exam. The high image clarity and resolution also reduces the amount of chemical contrast needed for many exams.
  
• Improved Efficiency
  A new MRI is not a luxury–it simply makes good business sense. We have reviewed the types of MRI scans being sent to other organizations that have MRIs with the advanced capabilities not on our mobile unit. Our research shows that an advanced unit will allow more area residents to stay close to home for diagnostic services. In addition, by housing a unit within GRMC, our staff and radiologists can process more exams and interpret the information more efficiently—for the patient as well as for physicians waiting for results.

Put Yourself in the Picture

As GRMC embarks on this next technology investment, we will need to remodel an area inside the hospital to accommodate a new, permanent MRI and the specialized construction needed to house the sensitive equipment.

• Leasing the Equipment
  Like car sales in the current economy, medical technology providers are offering interesting deals to help secure sales. GRMC and our radiologists have analyzed the various leasing and purchasing options for an MRI unit, and our Board of Directors has decided to lease the unit. This arrangement allows us to receive all the newest upgrades as the industry evolves and new capabilities are developed. When the term of the lease is up, we will not be locked into owning a unit that may not be current with next generation of capabilities. Under this arrangement, the manufacturer will also provide both remote and on-campus technical support. Fees generated by increased MRI volume will offset the leasing costs.
  
• Renovating the Space
  An MRI unit requires extremely rigorous housing construction to ensure the unit is safe and accurate. GRMC is working with engineering and installation experts to ensure the foundation and the subflooring will support the weight of the unit and its magnetic effects. Based on the current building and the construction needed to house the MRI safely, we estimate it will cost $300,000 to renovate the space to meet the new equipment’s requirements.
  
• Funding the Renovation
  This year, GRMC received a generous estate gift from Gail and Margaret Wheeler. The GRMC Board of Directors has designated a portion of the estate be used to upgrade MRI services at the medical center. The money will allow the medical center to fund a significant portion of the renovation needed to bring the MRI inside the facility and replace the current mobile unit. The new room will be named the Gail and Margaret Wheeler MRI Suite, in honor of both Margaret and her husband, who were long-time farmers in Poweshiek County.

You can help us bring first-rate diagnostic equipment to your medical center by helping us raise the remaining $200,000 needed to complete the project. We invite you to be a part of GRMC’s commitment in advancing your local medical center’s capabilities and assuring access to the best technology for your health…for tomorrow. Iowa Radiology and the Claude W. Ahrens Charitable Trust have partnered to create a $50,000 challenge for this project. All new or additional gifts to the MRI campagin will be matched dollar for dollar up to $50,000.