A new state-of-the-art 3T MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanner was installed at Alameda Health System (AHS)-Highland Hospital this week. The AHS Foundation secured a $6 million grant from Kaiser Permanente in 2016 to expand MRI services at Highland. In order to install the new equipment an external wall of the hospital had to be removed, and an 80-foot crane had to lift the equipment which weighed more than 20,000 pounds. Several AHS staff and members of the AHS Foundation were in attendance to watch the installation.

“At Alameda Health System we want to remove as many barriers to quality care as we possibly can,” said Delvecchio Finley, Alameda Health System CEO. “Thanks to the generosity of Kaiser Permanente, the new MRI equipment will enable early detection of health conditions, helping to improve patients’ health outcomes and quality of life.”

In addition to the new scanner the funds also helped upgrade the 1.5 MRI. These machines will scan organs and bones with greater speed and enhanced capability, expanding access to MRI services significantly.

This equipment will provide lifesaving diagnostic services for 7,000+ patients a year and improve accuracy. Patient experience will also be improved through its ability to reduce time from diagnosis to treatment, better accommodate large patients, and reduce the noise and claustrophobia that are common in MRI machines.