Download by Laura Crawford St. Luke`s to install MRI scanner, build a building

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NCA • P.O. Box 6407 • BOISE, ID 83707 • 208-342-5402 • Mobile: 867-4991
07/09/2016
McCall Star News, Thursday, July 7, 2016 – by Laura Crawford
St. Luke’s to install MRI scanner,
build a building for it
New unit will replace mobile device used since 1998
St. Luke’s McCall has started construction on a building that will house an onsite magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) device this fall. The new building and device are expected to be finished this fall and will cost a
total of $2 million.
Since 1998, patients needing MRI scans have had to use a mobile unit brought into the hospital’s
parking lot. The new unit and building will improve patient comfort and experience, as well as enable more
patients to receive needed diagnostic imaging studies close to home, radiologist Dr. Adam Weller said.
“Not only will the technology be better, we will be able to do more advance diagnostic tests, and the
comfort of the patient is enhanced,” Weller said. Demand for MRI testing has steadily increased due in large
part to the expansion of surgical services offered at the hospital, administrator Sean McCallister said.
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Greg Irvine arrived in 2011 and general surgeon Dr. Amy Ocmand was added in
2014. “We currently refer approximately 20 percent of patients requiring an MRI to Boise due to limitations of
advanced testing and space with the mobile unit,” McCallister said.
Once installed, the new MRI will be available five days a week during regular business hours, doubling
the current capacity, he said. Critical Testing An MRI scan is critical for diagnosing and developing a treatment
plan, Irvine said.
The MRI is used in conjunction with X-rays to diagnose many bone and joint disorders, as well as
diagnose issues with cartilage, torn ligaments and tendons, he said. Not only does MRI testing benefit patients
with orthopedic issues, it is also used to examine issues in the head and brain, chest, abdomen and pelvis, and
spine to identify problems such as tumors, bleeding, injury, blood vessel diseases or infection Irvine said.
The new MRI will be owned by the McCall Memorial Hospital District, which will provide $1.6 million
of the total $2 million project in district property taxes. St. Luke’s McCall submitted a request to the hospital
district board for the funding as part of the new health services agreement between the district and St. Luke’s
signed earlier this year.
The new building to house the MRI will be attached to the existing hospital and located where the
mobile MRI is now placed. During construction, the mobile MRI trailer will be placed further west of the
hospital. The new MRI building will fit in with expansion plans by the hospital, McCallister said. The threestory expansion project is expected to start in 2018.