SIU Med School/Lawrence County Memorial Hospital Announce Partnership

Funding for a new health care service in southeastern Illinois is being provided to Lawrence County Memorial Hospital in Lawrenceville, thanks to a partnership between the hospital and Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. The project is another in a series of the School’s Rural/Downstate Health Initiative (RHI) partnerships.

The grant of $112,302 helped fund the purchase of a new mammographic imaging unit which replaced old equipment that is less efficient and had high maintenance and repair costs. Installation of the unit was completed last August. Auxiliary mammography equipment and quality assurance software will also be purchased with the funds and will be in operation within a couple of months.

This new equipment allows for more efficient and thorough breast imaging as well as electronic quality assurance measurement. The software will provide more efficient tracking of mammography patients. About 450 patients have been served since the new unit was installed in August, and nearly one thousand patients per year are expected to benefit from the new system.

"We are very pleased with our partnership with SIU School of Medicine because this grant will help provide a much needed health care service for the residents of Lawrence County and surrounding areas by allowing the Lawrence County Memorial Hospital mammography service to be enhanced and function more efficiently," said Sylvia Pulleyblank, CEO of Lawrence County Memorial Hospital, during a press conference announcing the grant.

"SIU is proud to support Lawrence County Memorial Hospital for this project because it helps bring a cutting-edge service to their patients," said John Record, assistant dean for rural and alumni affairs at SIU, who coordinates the School's RHI program.

SIU School of Medicine continues its efforts to work with downstate physicians, hospitals and health care agencies to assess health care needs of the region. Additional support for the School's on-going efforts to improve health care in the region has come from the Illinois Legislature through the Rural/Downstate Health Act, which began in 1994. Its goal is to improve health care in the rural and medically underserved areas of the state and is funded with a state supported budget of $1.8 million per year. Nearly 60 RHI partnerships have been developed by SIU.

For more information about the program at Lawrence County Memorial Hospital , call Debra Miller, 618-943-7221, weekdays.

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