BEAUFORT, S.C. (AP) — The Naval Hospital in Beaufort and the Ralph Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston are using a new $2 million imaging machine to help patients.
Naval hospital commander Capt. Joan Queen told The Island Packet of Hilton Head (bit.ly/P50Zac) that the Pentagon and Veterans Affairs Department approved the request.
Officials say the machine will stay in Beaufort and save the hospitals $1 million a year because patients won't have to be referred elsewhere for MRIs. MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging. The scan uses a magnetic field and radio waves to show organs and tissue inside the body.
The Naval Hospital treats only active-duty military members, their dependents and retirees with 20 years of service. The Charleston VA hospital treats all military veterans.
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Information from: The Island Packet, http://www.islandpacket.com
