RED WING — Mayo Clinic Health System unveiled a new MRI machine Monday at its Red Wing facility, putting its testing capabilities on par with what's available in Rochester.
The GE 1.5 Tesla scanner, renovations and construction cost $3 million and is being touted for offering patients "safe and painless advanced imaging to better diagnose health issues of the bones, tissues and internal organs," according to a Mayo press release. The new machine allows imaging of bariatric patients and of smaller extremities, such as wrists and fingers.
Mayo Clinic Health System President and CEO Brian Whited says the new piece of equipment will "provide efficient, cost-effective care for our patients close to home."
Dr. Kimberly Amrami, Division Chair of Musculoskeletal Radiology at Mayo Clinic - Rochester, says this is a positive step for residents of Goodhue County, as the Red Wing facility has become the de facto hub of service for residents of Cannon Falls, Lake City and other local cities.
"This machine and its capabilities are identical to those used at Mayo Clinic in Rochester," Amrami said. "Patients here can be confident they are receiving the highest-quality images and those images help our physicians make quicker, more accurate diagnoses."
ADVERTISEMENT
Red Wing's new MRI machine began scanning patients on Tuesday.