Sutter Tracy to Open Area's First Freestanding Imaging Center
April 2002
Sutter Tracy Community Hospital announced its plans today to open the area's first freestanding imaging center. The full service, state-of-the-art facility will feature the latest in imaging technology, including a $1 million Hitachi Airis II open magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, which was purchased and will be operated by the Central Valley Imaging Medical Associates, an independent group of radiologists who also staff the Hospital's X-Ray Department. Tracy residents currently must travel to Stockton or Modesto to find an imaging center with an open MRI.
"The Airis II is an all digital, computerized, top of the line MRI that is open on all four sides. It's great for people who are claustrophobic or too large to fit in the full field MRI machine used at the hospital," said Sam Kokoris, M.D., radiologist and president of Central Valley Imaging Medical Associates. "The machine delivers superior electronic images that can be viewed on a computer screen and enhanced using special software. It's much faster and produces better quality images than earlier generations of open MRI machines."
The outpatient imaging center will also feature the latest in ultrasound and x-ray technology and a new bone density testing machine. Women will have access to cutting edge technology designed to detect breast cancer early, including mammography and stereotactic breast biopsies. Highly trained, board certified radiologists from Central Valley Imaging Medical Associates, and experienced imaging technologists will staff the center.
The Sutter Tracy Imaging Center is part of a new 20,000 square foot medical office complex off Bessie and Carlton Streets scheduled to break ground this fall. The imaging center is projected to open in May 2003.
"Tracy's growth has greatly increased the demand for services," said Sutter Tracy CEO Gary Rapaport. "The new facility will help us meet projected demand while offering Tracy residents with greater convenience and state-of-the-art care in a comfortable, pleasant environment. It's all part of our mission to provide quality care, close to home and to enhance the health and well-being of the people in our community."
Sutter Tracy's parent organization, Sutter Health, is underwriting part of the construction costs of the new imaging center and medical complex. Last year, the Hospital purchased a new General Electric MRI. The General Electric full field MRI (sometimes known as a closed MRI) and Hitatchi open MRI are typically found only at larger, urban hospitals. MRI is a powerful diagnostic tool. Physicians use the three-dimensional images produced on the MRI's computer monitor to view the body's organs and tissues at many different angles painlessly and quickly. Unlike an X-ray or CT scans, an MRI does not involve radiation.