With support from the Great Plains Health Care Foundation, Great Plains Health welcomes new PET scanner
Contact: Mary Roberts
North Platte, Neb., March 16, 2023 – Advanced medical technology is close to home for those who live in Greater Nebraska. Great Plains Health is pleased to share the arrival of a new positron emission tomography (PET) scanner to Great Plains Health Diagnostic Imaging. The Biograph Vision PET/CT from Siemens Healthineers is the latest technology, now available in North Platte.
A PET scan is crucial in diagnosing and treating cancer. A PET scan provides detailed pictures of organs and tissue, and aids in determining if cancer is spreading and how the body is reacting to cancer treatment.
“The PET scanner is an absolutely necessary tool when it comes to cancer treatment,” said Dr. Todd E. Hlavaty, radiation oncologist, medical director of the Callahan Cancer Center. “That’s because if you’ve been told you have cancer, your first questions are how extensive is it and has it spread.”
In addition to cancer treatment, a PET scan also aids in the evaluation of heart problems, brain disorders and problems with the central nervous system, including Alzheimer's disease, depression, epilepsy, head trauma and Parkinson's disease.
“We are pleased that our patients have access to this technology,” said Dr. Ladd Lake, radiologist, Innovative Imaging, PC. “It catches cancer earlier, supporting early identification of distant metastasis. The PET scan prioritizes patient safety and comfort, as well as provides the highest image quality and resolution.”
Great Plains Health performs more than 600 PET scans each year.
Thanks to the generous support of donors, a gift from the Great Plains Health Care Foundation helped provide $500,000 toward the project during fundraising efforts in 2020 and 2021.
“We believe that patients in rural Nebraska should get the best healthcare possible,” said Megan McGown, chief development officer, Great Plains Health, and director, Great Plains Health Care Foundation. “This PET scanner can be life changing for patients and families, and we are able to offer it close to home.”
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About Great Plains Health
Based in North Platte, Nebraska, Great Plains Health is a fully accredited, 116-bed acute-care regional medical center serving western and central Nebraska, northern Kansas and southern South Dakota. With 90 physicians representing nearly 30 medical specialties, the Great Plains Health system offers advanced health care, including heart and vascular, cancer, and orthopedic surgery services. Great Plains Health is a Level III trauma center, and all of its emergency department physicians are residency-trained and board-certified in emergency medicine. The system employs approximately 1,200 employees and serves a geographic area spanning more than 67,000 square miles. The hospital is accredited by the Center for Improvement in Healthcare Quality (CIHQ) and is home to an American College of Surgeons-accredited cancer center and Level II bariatric surgery program. For more information, visit gphealth.org.