Raising the Bar: Elevating Care to New Heights

The WMMC Foundation has launched its most extensive capital campaign to raise $1 million to bring innovative technology to our community through Interventional Radiology (IR). This technology uses medical imaging to guide minimally invasive surgical procedures that diagnose, treat, cure, and more. Additionally, WMMC will house the only PET/CT scanner in our region.

This campaign will elevate the care we provide in three fundamental areas: cancer, stroke, and cardiovascular care.

By supporting the Capital Campaign, donors will help bring the following to the community:

A State-of the-art CT machine – A new CT machine with the latest imaging technology and IR components.
Hospital renovations – To accommodate this new machine, the current Endoscopy (Endo) Clinic will be moving to the first floor in a new, remodeled space that will offer the ability to expand and ultimately increase patient satisfaction with its prime location. By moving the Endo clinic, the new CT machine will be located perfectly between the Emergency Room and Diagnostic Imaging department.
Jobs and revenue – This campaign will generate both new job opportunities at WMMC and revenue for the medical center.

What is Interventional Radiology?

According to United Nations population estimates, 16% of the world’s population will be older than 65 by 2050, indicating a rising need for safer, more efficient, and less expensive medical procedures. Interventional Radiology (IR) is an exciting and growing medical specialty that enables doctors to:

Perform surgical procedures to diagnose
Treat and cure a variety of conditions in a minimally invasive way
Use a combination of catheter-based procedures and imaging technology, such as ultrasound and digital X-ray, to diagnose and treat disease
Focus on blood vessels and the lymphatic system
Treat a wide range of conditions from cancer to infertility
Offer an alternative to procedures that once required open surgery

IR Applications

From a single incision, interventional technologists and radiologists can work together to:

Find and stop internal bleeding
Locate and treat uterine fibroids
Remove blockages (biliary drainage)
Unblock blood vessels and arteries (angioplasty)
Eliminate tumors (thermoablation)

Benefits for Patients

Benefits of interventional radiology for patients compared to traditional surgery include:

Increased effectiveness
Reduced risks
Outpatient vs. inpatient Stay
Lower costs
Less pain
Quicker recovery times

Meet the Machine

What is a PET/CT machine?

A positron emission tomography (PET) scan is an imaging test that can help reveal your tissues and organs’ metabolic or biochemical function. The PET scan uses a radioactive drug called a tracer to show both typical and atypical metabolic activity. A PET scan can often detect the atypical metabolism of the tracer in diseases before the disease shows up on other imaging tests, such as computerized tomography (CT).

The tracer is often injected into a vein within your hand or arm. The tracer will then collect into areas of your body with higher metabolic or biochemical activity levels. This often pinpoints the location of the disease.

Why is a PET/CT needed in our community?

A PET scan is an effective way to help discover a variety of conditions, including cancer, heart disease and brain disorders. Your health care provider can use this information to help diagnose, monitor or treat your condition. Currently, there is no hospital in our region that houses an on-site PET machine. Instead, it is common to rent a PET scanner once a week that is housed in a trailer. This will not only reduce the financial burden on our hospital who pays to rent the machine, but will also allow this service to be utilized more than one day a week.

What sets this machine apart?

This new scanner is a high-resolution PET/CT scanner with 16-slice image acquisition as well as 2D and 3D imaging capability. This scanner features improved lesion detectability, faster scan times, increased throughput, and reduced dose requirements.

The scanner will allow our providers to:

Accurately identify tumor boundaries and concentrate radiation only to save viable tissue from radiation exposure
Detect lesions as small as 2.88 mm (find metastasizing cancer sooner)
Better scan organs like the lungs and heart
Accurately detect multiple small lesions in areas of the body subject to movement, especially valuable for breast, lung, colon, renal and prostate cancers

Major benefits of the PET/CT scanner include:

Excellent Movement Management Imaging
Fast Exam Time
Seamless Clinical Workflow
High Quality Images

Common uses of the PET/CT Machine

Doctors perform PET/CT scans to:

Detect cancer and/or make a diagnosis; determine whether a cancer has spread
Assess the effectiveness of treatment
Evaluate prognosis
Assess tissue metabolism and viability
Determine the effects of a heart attack myocardial infarction on areas of the heart
Identify areas of the heart muscle that would benefit from angioplasty or coronary artery bypass surgery
Evaluate brain abnormalities, such as tumors, memory disorders, seizures and other central nervous system disorders
Map normal human brain and heart function

How can I help?

Because we value every gift so greatly, we offer many ways to give. Find the gift that’s right for you.

- Annual Donations
  - Gifts of current assets provide essential support to our programs and initiatives. These may include cash gifts (check, credit card, wire transfer, IRA charitable qualified distributions), stocks, and bonds
- Memorials & Grateful Patient Donations
  - Many families decide to establish a memorial for their loved one and direct gifts in lieu of gifts or flowers
  - Grateful Patient donations can be made to thank a nurse, doctor, or other staff person at WMMC for their exceptional care
- Legacy Giving
  - When you make a planned gift to the WMMC Foundation, you support the future of quality health and care in our community.
    - Gift of Securities
      - Redirect your taxes to benefit your family and your community
    - Gift by bequest or estate plan
      - Include the WMMC Foundation in your will or living trust, or name the WMMC Foundation as a beneficiary of a retirement plan or life insurance policy
  - Corporate Giving and Event Sponsorship

Checks, securities, deeds, bequests, and other legal documents should be made payable or transferable to Western Missouri Medical Center Foundation. The WMMC Foundation is certified as a 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(3) organization. Gifts are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. For additional questions, please contact Jennie Snapp, Foundation Director, at (660) 262-7464 or jsnapp@wmmc.com.

Please mail your donation to:

Western Missouri Medical Center Foundation
Attn: Communications & Development Office
403 Burkarth Road
Warrensburg, MO 64093

Summer Soirée

By Western Missouri Medical Center Foundation

Summer Soirée

Mahalo for your support!

Team Members