(L to R) Taylor Hopkins, Nuclear Medicine Technologist and Ashley Burkos, Director of GRMC's Imaging Department pictured with the New Nuclear Medicine Camera at Gila RegionalGila Regional Medical Center (GRMC) is proud to announce that their new Nuclear Medicine (Nuc Med) Camera will be up and ready for patients as early as next week. The new Nuc Med Camera is state-of-the-art and has a much higher resolution than the previous model. In addition, it also has the option to perform tests faster or at the same speed as before, but with the patient requiring less radiation exposure.

"Normally in Nuclear Medicine a patient is administered a radioactive isotope and the camera can detect areas of interest by seeing where that nuclear medicine goes in the body" said GRMC's Imaging Director Ashley Burkos. "We now have some options that were not available before to lessen the amount of radiation a patient is exposed to during these tests. We can do it faster at the same levels as before or lower the dose but perform the test at the same speed as we did in the past."

The Nuc Med Camera is used to detect and evaluate cancer and monitor certain organ functions such as the lungs, liver, thyroid and heart. Gila Regional's Cardiologist, Dr. Norman Ratliff III, uses the camera when monitoring heart functions, which is most common use of the camera at GRMC.

"We should be seeing patients by Tuesday, May 9" added Mrs. Burkos.

Funding for the new Nuc Med Camera was a capital outlay legislative appropriation paid to GRMC by the state legislature back in 2015.

Gila Regional Medical Center is a county-owned, not-for-profit, 68-bed acute care hospital with a strong commitment to the people they serve. Investments in technology and certified caregivers provide quality care delivery through a patient-centered approach. It is home to the Gila Regional Cancer Center; the Surgical Center of the Southwest and was rated a 4-Star Quality Care Hospital by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services.