News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 29, 2012
MEDIA CONTACT: Stephanie Poyant
Public Information Officer
Southcoast Health System
Office: 508-961-5280
Cell: 774-634-1460
Fax: 508-961-5876
Pager: 508-387-2532
poyants@southcoast.org
www.southcoast.org/news/releases/
Southcoast becomes first in region to offer 3T MRI
New technology provides MRI patients with enhanced comfort
FALL RIVER, Mass. — Southcoast™ Health System has announced the implementation
of new 3T Magnetom® Verio magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner at Charlton Memorial
Hospital, becoming the first health care provider in the region to invest in this new technology
that gives patients enhanced comfort.
“As the region’s largest provider of radiology services, Southcoast is continually
investing in new technology and services to ensure the highest quality care for our patients,” said
Debra A. Desmarais, Executive Director of Radiology Imaging Services for Southcoast. “The
new 3T MRI allows our doctors to have a wide range of imaging capabilities with the ability to
cater those services to patients in almost any situation.”
The new 3T MRI scanning device offers some of the most advanced image quality and
diagnostic capabilities, paired with a design that provides maximum patient comfort. The large,
patient-friendly 70-centimeter opening accommodates a diverse array of different sized patients,
while helping to reduce anxiety and claustrophobia. With one foot of spacious headroom, patients
will no longer feel as confined.
The new device boasts the strongest magnetic field strength used clinically today, giving
Southcoast physicians access to exceptionally clear images in multiple applications including
neurology, orthopedic and cartilage assessment, breast, vascular and cardiac imaging.
The new device also allows for increased speed for most MRI exams through the use of
Tim™ (Total imaging matrix) technology, which makes patient repositioning virtually
unnecessary.
Southcoast Health System offers first-rate radiology imaging services at 14 sites
throughout the region, including all three Southcoast Hospitals sites — Charlton Memorial
Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham —
and the Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care, giving patients easy access to high-quality services.
Southcoast Radiology Imaging Services performs more than 400,000 radiology procedures each
year. The radiologists, technologists, managers and support staff are dedicated to providing
superior patient care and customer service.
In addition to the 3T MRI scanner, Southcoast Radiology Imaging Services provides the
most advanced technology available in the region — with our new state-of-the-art low-dose
radiation 128-slice CT scanner to the region’s largest digital mammography system. Additional
services include Bone Densitometry (DEXA scanning), Computed Tomography (CT or CAT
scan), PET/CT, Diagnostic Radiology (X-ray), Interventional Radiology, Magnetic Resonance
Imaging (MRI), Digital Mammography, Non-Invasive Vascular Imaging, Nuclear Medicine and
Ultrasound.
To learn more about the latest radiology technology at Southcoast, visit
http://www.southcoast.org/radiology/technology.html.
About Southcoast Health System & Southcoast Hospitals Group
Southcoast Health System is a community based health delivery system with multiple
access points, offering an integrated continuum of health services throughout Southeastern
Massachusetts and East Bay, Rhode Island. It includes the three hospitals that make up
Southcoast Hospitals Group — Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke’s Hospital in
New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham.
Southcoast provides advanced clinical services, such as open heart surgery, angioplasty
and heart rhythm services, comprehensive cancer care, neurosurgery, weight loss surgery,
orthopedic surgery, advanced imaging services and is the only provider of maternity services in
the region.
Southcoast is a not-for-profit charitable organization that depends on the support of the
community to provide services. More information is available online at
www.southcoast.org. Connect to Southcoast through social media
at www.southcoast.org/connect/.
Southcoast™ is a trademark of Southcoast Health System Inc.
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