New MRI machine delivered to Floyd County Medical Center

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

The Floyd County Medical Center welcomed a big delivery on Tuesday, Aug. 1, as the Radiology and Imaging Department received its brand new MRI machine.

“With our new MRI, we will be able to offer additional diagnostic studies that we currently are not able to, like MRI Pelvis and others,” said FCMC’s Radiology Director Joanie Behnke.

The radiology staff flocked outside late Tuesday morning to see the new $1.27 million piece of equipment craned into the building, which has been under renovation for about six months in anticipation of the upgrade.

For several years now, the hospital has been utilizing a “mobile” imaging unit that has been permanently parked outside the building.

The new machine will not only take better images with shorter scan times, but its larger size and more convenient location inside the hospital will allow the radiology department to provide service to a wider range of patients.

“Since this machine is much larger in diameter than the mobile unit we’ve had it will accommodate those who need more space,” said Behnke. “We were looking at the needs of our patients to have these services here and avoid travel, all in the comfort of our newly renovated Radiology Department.”

It will take at least two weeks for the MRI machine – a new Siemens 1.5T Magnetom Altea Magnetic Resonance Imaging scanner – to be fully installed and calibrated while renovations on the radiology wing continue.

Hospital officials estimate that they will be able to start scheduling imaging for patients in the first week of September.

“This is such an exciting event for FCMC and our community,” said FCMC CEO Dawnett Willis. “FCMC is poised for growth in areas of orthopedics, cardiac, therapies, surgery, pain management and cancer-related care. With all these services, MRI plays a vital role. That’s why we’re focusing on the need for patient friendly, safe, high-quality equipment to appropriately care for the communities we serve.”