Beaumont hospitals receive $4M gift for cardiac and imaging centers

Thursday, December 16, 2010 | Source: Metromode

Beaumont Medical Center in Macomb Township will get a new imaging center and the cardiac center at Beaumont Hospital in Troy gets a new name through a $4 million gift from the Wayne and Joan Webber Foundation.

The gift funds the construction and renovations of the Wayne & Joan Webber Imaging Center, as well as an open MRI, the first of its kind in the Beaumont system. The cardiac care center at Beaumont Hospital, Troy, which opened in September, will be named the Wayne and Joan Webber Cardiac Progressive Care Center.

Duane Mezwa, the corporate chair of diagnostic radiology for the Beaumont system, was especially excited about the new open MRI. He says the open magnet system is good for patients who are claustrophobic, and may not be able to lie in they typical tight cylindrical MRI machine. It's also good for children, whose parents can now lie next to them and hold their hand, reducing the chances they'll need to be anesthetized for the procedure; and for overweight patients, who have more room to be comfortable.

The new machine also has a higher magnet strength, which creates better images, and is better for the feet and other bony structures. "For the right patient, we want to make sure to get them on the right scanner," he says.

The hospital appreciates the donation, he says, especially during the economic downturn when money for additional equipment is limited. The system was one of the first in the state to have digital mammography, which also came about through a philanthropic donation.

"To get a donation like this is really, really fortunate," he points out. "It helps us out tremendously. The money allows us to give patients cutting-edge technology."

The Wayne & Joan Webber Imaging Center is scheduled to open in 2011. The cardiac center is a 12-bed inpatient unit for cardiac patients, staffed by highly trained nurses and doctors who specialize in cardiac care.

Wayne and Joan Webber are from Clinton Township. Other beneficiaries of their foundation include the Webber Cancer Center at St. John Macomb-Oakland Hospital; the DIA Wayne and Joan Webber Education Wing; the University Yes Academy Wayne; and John Webber 90-90-90 School in Detroit.

Source: Duane Mezwa, corporate chair of diagnostic radiology for the Beaumont Hospital System
Writer: Kristin Lukowski