By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Saint Mary’s Health Care and Spectrum Health already jointly own one Positron Emission Tomography, or PET, scanner, a device that helps doctors identify cancerous tumors in patients or determine if treatments are working.
But demand for services has increased and a second unit is needed. And Saint Mary’s is ready to build a $2.2 million dollar addition to house it.
“The scanner uses radioisotopes to identify tumors,” says Randy Wagner, COO. “The isotope is a glucose substance that, when injected, is absorbed by the high metabolic activity produced by a tumor that’s growing and mutating. The PET is paired with a CT scanner and can identify the size, location, and how involved a tumor is.”
The hospital will break ground in March on the 12,000 square foot addition on the east face of the hospital, along Lafayette Street.
The addition’s lower level is dedicated to nuclear medicine, with lead and concrete shielding walls, a ‘hot lab’ where the nuclear material is stored, the PET scanner, the hospital’s existing nuclear cameras, and quiet rooms were patients will rest after an isotope injection while waiting for the radioactive material to be absorbed.
“Even though the facility is underground, the design has a large leaded window to allow natural light to come into the PET area,” Wagner says.
The building will be ‘green roof ready,’ so one can be added after the facility is complete. Costs could run an additional $550,000 and would require additional fundraising.
The new nuclear equipment, alone, will cost some $2.8 million, and will be available for use by patients of any healthcare provider.
Source: Randy Wagner, Saint Mary’s Health Care
Deborah Johnson Wood is the development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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