Samaritan commissioners approve MRI project budget
MOSES LAKE — The good news is, Samaritan Hospital will have a new MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) machine in-house. The bad news is, it will cost more than originally projected, and hospital commissioner Dale Paris characterized the location as an “eyesore.”
Hospital commissioners approved a revised budget for the project at the regular meeting Tuesday.
Chief financial officer Alex Town said the MRI apparatus will cost about $1.5 million, the original estimated price. But the installation cost will be about $2.1 million, up from an original estimate of $1.2 million.
“We thought we had a site picked, but the state came back recently and said, ‘you cannot put it there.’ We actually had to get some engineers, the architect, (and) we had to get the state on site and ask what are our options,” Town said.
The two options provided are additions to the existing building. Town said hospital officials recommended the first option, which would build the facility next to the existing cardiac rehabilitation unit. The second option was in front of the emergency room, but Town said the cost was higher to build in that location.
Town said hospital officials had discussed remodeling the existing cardiac rehab, but remodeling would cost more than either of the two options. Commissioner Joe Akers asked if that cost took into account “the visual appeal, traffic going in and out, the available walking space,” and other considerations.
“The need is obvious. It’s just so disappointing that we have to do that to the building," Paris said. "It seems like there should be a better place for it, and it shouldn’t be an eyesore.”
“The state (officials), the architect – we had a whole team that met regularly and looked at every possible option,” Town said. The new MRI space will cut into the existing sidewalk, but won't obstruct the roadway at the hospital entrance. Chief executive officer Teresa Sullivan said the new MRI will allow the hospital to offer new services. It also improves patient care, eliminating the need for patients to be transported to other facilities for the procedure, she said.
Commissioner Alan White asked about the Samaritan Healthcare Foundation, and the possibility of raising money to help offset some of the cost. Foundation director Gretchen Youngren said the foundation already had committed to raising $400,000 for the project, prior to the announcement of a revised budget.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.
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