McLaren Thumb Region, part of McLaren Health Care and a critical access hospital serving the entire Thumb region, has brought magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology to the area. By providing local access to this advanced and commonly used diagnostic imaging technology, patients will no longer have to travel outside their community for the non-invasive procedure.
The mobile MRI unit will be located on the hospital’s main campus along South Van Dyke Road, just outside the walls of its diagnostic imaging department.
“Expanding diagnostic imaging capabilities and adding this MRI unit to the hospital benefits each of our services lines and every patient cared for within those services,” said Connie Koutouzos, President and CEO of McLaren Thumb Region. “For patients, being able to stay within your community and receive care close to home provides a level of comfort and familiarity benefiting their overall care and experience. We’re very pleased to be in the position to bring this to Bad Axe.”
Using powerful magnets, radio waves, and sophisticated computer software, MRIs create high-resolution 3D images of areas within the body in order for physicians to fully diagnose patients’ conditions. These conditions include brain injuries, cancer, spine and joint damage, obstructed blood vessels, damaged heart tissue, and forms of heart disease among others.
With a physician’s order for an MRI, patients of McLaren Thumb Region previously had to travel outside of the community for the procedure. Adding this level of care and treatment to the hospital also adds convenience and familiarity to the patients’ care process.
“The focus of our investments is aimed at enhancing our patients’ access to care and services, and also increasing the level of that care,” said Chad Grant, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at McLaren Health Care. “Adding an MRI unit to McLaren Thumb Region achieves both of those goals, and we’re enthusiastic about how it can elevate health care in the greater Bad Axe community.”
The addition of the MRI unit closely follows the one-year anniversary of the opening of the renovated and enhanced cardiac catheterization lab, another recent investment to expand services provided within McLaren Thumb Region.
About McLaren Thumb Region
McLaren Thumb Region is a not-for-profit provider of integrated healthcare. Founded in 1906 as Hubbard Hospital, it is a 58-bed full service acute care hospital located in Bad Axe, Michigan. McLaren Thumb Region serves the residents of Huron, Sanilac and Tuscola Counties and is committed to helping to shape the future of healthcare. Learn more at mclaren.org/thumbregion.
About McLaren Health Care
McLaren Health Care, headquartered in Grand Blanc, Michigan, is a $6.6 billion, fully integrated health care delivery system committed to quality, evidence-based patient care and cost efficiency. With a network of more than 113,000 employed and independent providers throughout Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana, McLaren directly serves the health care needs of communities throughout Michigan and northern Ohio through its system of full-service hospitals, multi-specialty health care campuses, ambulatory surgery centers, and imaging centers. McLaren also operates Michigan’s largest network of cancer centers and providers, anchored by the Karmanos Cancer Institute, one of only 53 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the U.S. The McLaren system includes commercial and Medicaid HMOs covering more than 732,838 lives in Michigan and Indiana, home health, infusion and hospice providers, pharmacy services, a clinical laboratory network and a wholly owned medical malpractice insurance company. Learn more at mclaren.org.