More than two years in the making, the new MRI suite at Prowers Medical Center is now fully open. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on July 27 to mark the occasion.

Thanks to support from the Prowers Medical Center Foundation’s Priceless Pictures Campaign, a Colorado Department of Local Affairs Energy/Mineral Impact Assistance Fund grant and funding from hospital operations, Prowers Medical Center now has updated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology and an upgraded space to house it. The $3.6 million project has been in the works since 2020.

The MRI unit features the largest bore—or center opening—available on the market. Its new home inside the hospital also allows patients to receive their care more conveniently and comfortably. In the past, patients who suffered from various injuries and illnesses were exposed to all types of weather conditions while being lifted on an exterior elevator into the parking lot trailer that housed the old MRI machine.

“The larger bore means that we are better able to accommodate patients who are claustrophobic or have a larger stature,” said Amber Rider, Director of Quality and Patient Safety at Prowers Medical Center. “The room was also designed to incorporate special features to help patients relax.”

See the New MRI Technology for Yourself

A virtual tour of the new MRI suite is available on Prowers Medical Center’s Facebook page.

For more information about the new MRI building and to schedule an appointment with our Imaging Department, call 719-336-6762.

The new MRI suite is a key part of an overall imaging center update. For the past five years, Prowers Medical Center has been working on updating technology available in the imaging department, allowing patients access to convenient imaging services right here in our community. The nuclear medicine camera and CT scanner were recently updated, and the mammography unit was replaced with a state-of-the-art three-dimensional scanning machine.

“We have the same equipment as a Level 1 Trauma Center,” Rider said. “Our patients do not need to travel to big-city imaging centers to get quality diagnostic images. Our imaging equipment and technology is as good — if not better — than what you’d find at larger hospitals.”

What The New MRI Technology Provides

MRI technology is a fast, safe, non-invasive and pain-free way to look at organs and structures inside your body. The machine uses a large magnet and radio waves to create images that healthcare professionals use to diagnose a variety of conditions, from torn ligaments to tumors.

“The new MRI images are of such amazing clarity and details that providers are able to pinpoint many pathologies that occur in the brain, spine, body or extremities that were not visible radiologically before,” Rider said.

The new technology not only translates to faster imaging times — a general knee scan that used to take 45 minutes now, with the new unit, only takes about 18 minutes from start to finish — but also, this new unit allows providers to see details that they previously couldn’t.

“In trained hands, the MRI discovers tumors that might have been missed before. It detects aneurysms, neural and spinal conditions, and diagnoses illnesses before they become serious,” Rider said. “It does all this without biopsies or exploratory surgery.”

Convenient Care Right Here In Our Community

After more than a year of planning and fundraising, the construction of the new MRI suite began in April 2021. Patients began receiving MRIs in the new suite in early 2022, and now all the finishing touches on the construction project are complete.

“We wanted to make sure that the MRI was located in the best possible space for patient comfort, experience, safety and staff workflows,” Rider said.

Prowers Medical Center has undergone vast changes in its long history, but the commitment to provide state-of-the-art care has not moved out of focus.

“We are very proud of today’s hospital,” Rider said. “The fact that this level of healthcare is available locally is a tremendous benefit to the community. It means so much to all of us not to travel out of town for healthcare.”