Community Hospital enlists public’s help in order to win contest for $1.5M machine
By Nick Diamantides
Staff Writer
Long Beach Community Hospital is trying to win a free MRI scanner worth $1.5 million, and people can help by simply voting online once every day from now until Jan. 1, 2008. Ninety-five hospitals have entered the contest, and the one with the most votes wins. Community Hospital is the only medical facility in the Los Angeles/Orange County area that has entered the contest.
“Thanks to the generosity of Siemens Medical Solutions, Inc. (based in Malvern, Pennsylvania), one hospital will win a free MRI unit, which is a valuable tool in medical diagnostic procedures,” said Kathy Berry, Community Hospital’s community relations director.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a non-invasive way to take pictures of the internal workings of the human body. Unlike X-rays and computed topographic (CT) scans, which use radiation, MRI uses powerful magnets and radio waves. The MRI scanner contains an electro-magnet that produces a magnetic field 10,000 times greater than the Earth’s.
The magnetic field forces hydrogen atoms in the body to line up in a certain way (similar to how the needle on a compass moves when you hold it near a magnet). When the radio waves are sent toward the lined-up hydrogen atoms, they bounce back. A computer records the signal and produces a picture of internal body parts. Different types of tissues send back different signals. MRI images can reveal tumors as well as other internal illnesses and injuries.
Single MRI images are called slices, and they can be stored on a computer or printed on film. Either way, doctors and other medical professionals use them to make diagnoses that might otherwise have required exploratory surgery.
In most MRI scans, a patient lies on a narrow table, which slides into the large tube housing the MRI machine. Depending on the areas of the body being studied, MRI exams can take one hour or longer.
“Right now, Community Hospital rents an MRI scanner, which is located in a mobile unit in our parking lot,” Berry said. “Winning our own MRI would mean that the money we now spend on rent could be invested in other programs and services that would improve the care we provide to our patients.”
The scanner in the Sieman’s contest is a newly developed Magnetom Essenza 1.5 MRI, which uses state-of-the-art technology to make the scanning process simpler and efficient than it is in the older machines.
The land and buildings that comprise Community Hospital are owned by the City of Long Beach. The corporation that had been operating the hospital for about three years decided to close it in September 2000.
Almost immediately afterwards, a grassroots movement sprung up to reopen the facility. With the help of state and city officials, corporate and individual donations, and a
$2 million loan from Long Beach, the hospital reopened in June 2001 with a newly formed board of directors as well as a newly formed fund-raising foundation with its own board of directors.
“We’ve been dubbed the ‘Miracle on Termino Avenue,'” Berry said. “Nobody thought we could reopen, and after we did, nobody thought we would survive more than a year.” She noted that while the hospital has had its struggles, it has steadily increased and improves services it provided to residents of Long Beach and cities within a radius of about 20 miles.
“People in all the communities were very generous with their time and money when we were fighting to reopen,” Berry added. “Now we are not asking for a dollar, we are merely asking for a vote.”
To vote, go to www.winanmri.com and select Community Hospital of Long Beach from the drop-down box.
Supporters can vote once each day from every computer in their home or place of employment. There is no limit to the number of votes you can submit each day, but only one vote per computer will be counted.
With each computer that you use, the first time you vote, you will be required to watch a 1-minute 12-second video explaining why the hospital needs an MRI.
Community Hospital is located at 1720 Termino Avenue. For more information, call (562) 494-0835.
