St. Mary’s Health Center and Missouri Congressman Ike Skelton have announced a federal appropriation of $200,000 to the hospital for a new 64-slice CT scanner.

The new technology will be among the most advanced in the country.

“This is exciting news for both the hospital and the community,” said St. Mary’s President Brent VanConia. “We’ll combine this tool with the best caregivers to produce an even greater healing environment at St. Mary’s.”

The new computed tomography scanner offers much higher resolution images than were possible with previous technology. And patient images will be gathered much faster with the new system – often within a single breath. High-resolution CT scanners are helpful in diagnosing problems with internal organs and the cardiovascular system.

“We thank Congressman Skelton and our federal legislators for this gift to our community,” VanConia said. “It will help us let healing begin for new patients every day."