Dec 12, 2017 —Press Releases
BLACKFOOT, ID – December 12, 2017 – The residents of rural Eastern Idaho depend on Bingham Memorial Hospital (BMH) for their healthcare needs. Patients at BMH will soon benefit from access to the latest computed tomography (CT) scanner made possible through a grant from MJ Murdock Charitable Trust of Vancouver, Washington, and a generous contribution by the Bingham Health Care Foundation. Updating and enhancing the CT scanner will allow greater flexibility for patient comfort and enhance the physician’s ability to diagnose and treat patients.
“Bingham Memorial is truly grateful to have received support from the MJ Murdock Charitable Trust and the Bingham Health Care Foundation for the purchase of a new CT scanner,” says Danette Roberts, director of graduate medical education, research, grants, and continuing medical education at BMH. “Grants make meaningful impacts to nonprofit organizations and the communities that they serve. The real point of these awards is to rally the necessary resources to help communities thrive. The support from the MJ Murdock Charitable Trust and the Bingham Health Care Foundation has allowed us to do just that.”
The MJ Murdock Charitable Trust recently awarded BMH $300,000 towards a new, state-of-the art CT scanner. The Aquilion PRIME-SERIES-S, with Adaptive Iterative Dose Reduction 3D Enhanced (AIDR 3D Enhanced), is a scalable 80 to 160 slice with the technology of the Aquilion™ ONE built in. The speed of this technology offers significant benefits to patients—especially trauma, pediatric, and critically ill patients. This technology enables physicians to visualize internal injuries and disease in less time.
“We are always looking towards the future because we want ensure that our patients have access to the latest technology,” says Lisa Wells, director of the radiology department at BMH. “And, in addition to all of the benefits to patients, this advanced CT scanner also makes it much safer for patients by reducing radiation exposure.”
“This new upgrade will provide more efficient CT scans of patients that will assist medical personnel in their diagnosis and treatment of illnesses,” says Bingham Heath Care Foundation Board Chair, Norm Stanley. “By providing these types of up-to-date, quality, services at our local hospital, our patients won’t have to travel out of town. The Foundation is pleased to offer $125,000 towards the purchase of this CT scanner.”
Currently, the new CT scanner is being installed at BMH and will be in full use by the middle of December 2017.
A CT or CAT scan is an x-ray procedure that uses a computer to combine numerous x-ray images to generate cross-sectional views and three-dimensional images of the internal organs and structures of the body. CT scans are used to analyze the head, blood clots, skull fractures, tumors, infections, hearts, and even bone density. These scans assist doctors in procedures by helping physicians to accurately guide the placement of instruments or treatments. CT is fast, painless, noninvasive, and accurate, but is particularly well suited to quickly examine people who may have internal injuries from car accidents or other types of trauma.
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About the Bingham Health Care Foundation
The mission of the Bingham Health Care Foundation is to develop relationships within the communities it serves, to highlight awareness and access of care, increase the knowledge of healthy lifestyles, and encourage funding sources to enhance health care services to community residents. The Bingham Health Care Foundation provides funds to improve the health of patients in Eastern Idaho. The foundation enjoys the support of generous donations from hospital physicians, BMH employees, and from the local community.
About M.J. Murdock Trust
M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust, created by the will of the late Melvin J. (Jack) Murdock, provides grants to organizations in five states of the Pacific Northwest-Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington-that seek to strengthen the region’s educational and cultural base in creative and sustainable ways. www.murdocktrust.org