Trinity Hospital Twin City Enhances Imaging Services with New Equipment and Radiologists

DENNISON—Just in time for breast cancer awareness month, Trinity Hospital Twin City’s imaging services department recently upgraded its services with the purchase of state-of-the-art, digital mammography and bone density machines and the addition of a new team of radiology specialists. The equipment purchases were made possible in part thanks to the Trinity Hospital Twin City Foundation.

In the fall of 2011 and early 2012, the Trinity Hospital Twin City Foundation (a separate 501 (c) 3 entity) brought in more than $86,000 through a community giving campaign that yielded donations from many community residents and small businesses. The funding assisted the hospital in purchasing the new mammography machine, which will prove critical in the fight against breast cancer. Mammography is still considered one of the best forms of protection against breast cancer because the machine can often detect breast cancer in the early stages when it is most likely to be treatable. The American Cancer Society recommends that women age 40 and older have a yearly mammogram.

A new digital bone density machine was also purchased to conduct screens for osteoporosis, a disease of the bones that weakens the bone structure and makes them more prone to breaking. It is recommended that people 65 and older have a bone density test, and all post-menopausal women below age 65 who have risk factors for osteoporosis.

Much of Trinity Hospital Twin City’s major equipment had been updated in 2009 when the facility’s 40,000 square foot medical center first opened. However, the mammography and bone density machines were the last major equipment modules that still needed replaced in the imaging department. With digital technology, images are clearer; the transmission of images to physicians and specialists is easier; and patients benefit from a lower average dose of radiation and faster screening times.

“We’re excited to have the new mammography and bone density machines,” noted Dena Putnam, RT(R)(M), director of the hospital’s imaging services department. “The new technology has made our job easier. The digital mammography machine can detect cancers more easily, especially for women with dense breast tissue. We’re completely state-of-the-art now, and most of our imaging equipment is under four years old.”

Trinity Hospital Twin City also recently added a new team of radiologists from Aris Radiology to read and interpret images. Every Aris radiologist is board certified and experienced in multiple forms of imaging modalities. The group provides coverage of the hospital’s imaging department 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and the hospital is able to work with radiologists with different specialties in order to ensure the timely, accurate interpretations necessary to deliver high quality patient care.

Founded in 2007, Aris was created through a partnership of Summa Health System and Akron Radiology to provide customized, high-quality radiology solutions. The company is led by President Carl J. Kozlowski, a 25-year veteran of the medical imaging industry.

The community is invited to view Trinity Hospital Twin City’s new bone density and mammography machines at the “In the Pink” health fair event to be held at the hospital’s St. Francis Conference Center on Thursday, October 25th, from 5 to 7 pm. Participation in the event is free, and the public can register by calling (740) 922-7450, ext. 2124.