VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital will cut the ribbon on a new 50-foot trailer designed to provide state-of-the-art scanning capabilities to patients. The new PET/CT scanner can provide an exceptionally detailed image of the whole body in in under 17 minutes – about half the time of a traditional scan.
By scanning the whole body in 17 minutes or less, the mobile, digital PET/CT scanner makes it easier and quicker for patients to get screened and be put on a treatment plan.
PET/CT scans are advanced tools used in cancer care to provide an accurate picture of a tumor. Unlike regular scans, PET/CT uses a special tracer to highlight areas of high metabolic activity, helping providers find and understand tumors better. The scans are often used to determine the best course of treatment for patients.
“Immediate access to high-quality care is incredibly important to our patients and our clinical teams,” said Sheldon Barr, president of VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital. “It leads to better health outcomes and provides peace of mind. We are thrilled to be able to provide this innovative technology to our community.”
Beyond a faster, more accurate way to track cancer in a patient, this technology is on wheels. The trailer will move between Community Memorial Hospital and VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital every week. In the fall, VCU Health’s Stony Point Campus will join the rotation. The traveling PET/CT will not only address patient wait times for PET/CT scans, but it will also expand each medical center’s capacity to do them in the coming months. The newest innovation aligns with the mission of VCU Health and VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center to reduce health inequities for all patients.
“VCU Health is proud to bring this mobile solution to people in Virginia and Eastern North Carolina,” Barr said. “Our continued partnership between hospitals across the state further demonstrates VCU Health’s commitment to provide high quality care in urban and rural communities.”
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Rebecca Barnabi
