Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending - Non-Construction - The radiology team at St. Joe's is known for the caliber of care they provide to the community, working hard to ensure compassionate, efficient, and high value care is provided to all their patients. However, the current MRI scanner is out of date and in need of replacement. The MRI scanner currently in use has significant limitations based on its age as it relates to both the capabilities of the machine and the comfort of patients receiving an MRI. Radiologists in Bangor have advocated for improvement in the machine, citing the opportunity to improve the consistency and quality of the captured images, which sometimes result in the need for an additional MRI to be completed. In addition, if not replaced, our images will soon be incompatible with the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACs) which is essential for digitally transferring images and clinical reports to the appropriate providers. The current MRI scanner has a 60-centimeter diameter opening, which is insufficient to accommodate a significant percentage of our patient population and community. The proposed replacement MRI scanner, the Magnetom Sola, offers a larger space for patients which not only ensures accessibility regardless of size but also helps to minimize the impact for those susceptible to claustrophobia, a common source of discomfort and anxiety for those needing an MRI. In addition to the larger space, the design of the machine further helps to reduce claustrophobia-related anxiety since the patient’s head can remain outside the opening (i.e., bore) for several of the MRI exams. The proposed replacement MRI scanner can also accommodate patients weighing up to 550 pounds and is more comfortable for people with broad shoulders. Upgrading our MRI scanner will result in improved and more equitable access to care, improved consistency in the quality of images captured, and will resultingly improve patient outcomes.
