St. Mark’s State-of-the-Art Imaging Equipment Funded by Fayette County

St. Mark’s Medical Center (St. Mark’s) purchase and installation of multiple pieces of imaging equipment through a $500,000 grant from Fayette County raises the facility’s capabilities, efficiencies and patient safety.

Included in the purchase are:

• Nuclear Medicine Gamma Camera - Dual head camera allows for faster acquisition times for cardiac, lung, and bone imaging, while still performing routine planar and SPECT imaging.

• Digital Mobile Imaging System - This high-resolution digital imaging unit easily moves from bedsides and displays instant viewing of images.

• C-Arm Imaging Machine - Real-time imaging machine that allows surgeons to see inside patients during procedures.

“The county’s generous donation from its American Rescue Plan (ARP) grant funds in late 2021 allowed for needed upgrades to our imaging services,” said St. Mark’s President and CEO Mark Kimball. “While it takes time to receive and install the equipment, and train our team to use, it’s exciting to see the better experience that the new technology brings for our patients. Our team is extremely appreciative of all that the County’s grant supported.”

“These new technologies are game changers for our team,” said Ashley Havel, St. Mark’s Director of Radiology. “The dual-head gamma camera supports nuclear medicine services, which are a branch of radiology that involves the injection of a radioactive substance in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Nuclear imaging differs from radiology, as the emphasis is not on imaging anatomy, but on the function. This new camera is so much more efficient for our team and patients,” she added.

Havel continued about the second technology, the digital radiology (DR) imaging system, saying, “Purchasing and implementing the new DR technology system is a big performance improvement for our team. Not only are the images top quality, we have drastically improved our workflow, turnaround time, overall ease of use, while decreasing radiation dose to the patient. We have waited some time for this upgrade and couldn’t be happier with our purchase.” In addition to the mobile unit, St. Mark’s also was retrofitted with two in-room DR systems.

The C-Arm imaging device was initially used when St. Mark’s services included surgeries and is available for future use.

St. Mark’s Medical Center (SMMC), is rated a four-star hospital by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and received an ‘A’ Grade for Patient Safety by The Leapfrog Group. The Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) serves residents of Fayette and Lee counties, and surrounding communities, with highly skilled physicians, nurses and professional staff. Services include a 24-hour emergency department; observation; cardiac, respiratory, physical and occupational rehabilitation; wound care; laboratory and imaging services; mammography; as well as, sleep study.

For more information about St. Mark’s Medical Center, visit smmctx.org.