Mt Graham Regional Medical Center Inc

COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING/CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING - NON-CONSTRUCTION - THIS PROJECT WILL ENABLE THE MOUNT GRAHAM REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER TO ACQUIRE PET/CT SCANNING EQUIPMENT. NO FACILITY IN SOUTHEAST ARIZONA HAD PET/CT SCANNING EQUIPMENT. PET/CT COMBINES POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY (PET) WITH COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (CT) TECHNOLOGY TO AID IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF CANCER, DETERMINING THE EXTENT TO WHICH CANCER HAS SPREAD, AND ASSESSING HOW A PATIENT IS RESPONDING TO TREATMENT. IN ADDITION, PET CAN BE USED TO EVALUATE PATIENTS WITH CARDIAC AND NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS, SUCH AS SEIZURES AND DEMENTIA. THIS EQUIPMENT IS ESSENTIAL TO DETERMINE THE COURSE OF TREATMENT AND MORE LATELY OUR AREA OF ARIZONA HAD BEEN DEPENDENT UPON A VISITING OUT OF TOWN TRUCK FOR THESE TESTS. ACCESS TO THIS EQUIPMENT CAN DETERMINE MUCH BETTER OUTCOMES IN EARLY DETECTION OF ISSUES. MANY CANCER PATIENTS ARE ALREADY IN A WEAKENED STATE RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY AND MORE MAKING 2- AND 3-HOUR DRIVES FOR THESE TESTS THAT MUCH MORE DIFFICULT. HAVING THIS EQUIPMENT IN GRAHAM COUNTY MAKES A GREENLEE COUNTY PATIENT’S TRAVEL TIME FOR CARE 50 MINUTES INSTEAD OF 3 TO 4 HOURS ONE WAY. THIS TYPE OF EQUIPMENT ALLOWS GRAHAM GREENLEE AND NORTHERN COCHISE ARIZONA COUNTIES TO GROW AND OFFERS ECONOMIC RESILIENCE AS CITIZENS MAKE CHOICES ON WHERE THEY CAN LIVE KNOWING THEIR HEALTH CARE NEEDS. THIS FEDERAL FUNDING IS ESSENTIAL BECAUSE, WHEN THIS TYPE OF EQUIPMENT NEEDS REPLACED, SMALL RURAL HOSPITALS LIKE OUR MGRMC ARE NOT LEFT WITH MANY OPTIONS TO QUICKLY MAKE SUCH A LARGE CAPITAL PURCHASE.