A new imaging center holds it's grand opening with a pledge that other facilities in the area don't match. 

A ribbon cutting ceremony marked the Grand Opening of The Southwoods Imaging Center in Boardman. The Director of Radiology Services, Lisa DeJacimo said, "Southwoods Imaging offers the most technologically advanced equipment in the valley including the areas only fixed-location PET/CT. This offers more convenient access for patients who need early cancer screening. You don't have to wait for a week like you do at one of the other local hospitals in the area. We do it every single day. You can have your CAT scan with your PET scan, so you don't need to go to Cleveland or Pittsburgh, you can have everything done right here at our facility."

It's Titan or 3-Tesla MRI is one of only two units in the region which have a much stronger magnet than other MRI units, producing more detailed images. Southwoods Imaging also has Digital Mammography. It's Automated Whole Breast Ultrasound is used for women who have dense breast tissue where mammograms can't detect clearly what is going on. Angela Kerns, the Chief Nursing Officer at the Surgical Hospital at Southwoods said, "So far we have detected ten cases of breast cancer we would not have detected with standard mammography. It's really state of the art technology. If something is detected a biopsy can be done here the same day."

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The CEO of Southwoods Hospital, Ed Muransky, tells 21 News he understood the fear of the unknown after an employee was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago. Then a friend's wife had a diagnosis and had to wait for results. Muransky helped his employee gather the information she needed to make important health decisions. After a friend's wife had a diagnosis and had to wait for results Muransky said, "It was the moment when I knew that something needed to be done. It's when I came up with the concept of Southwoods Imaging. Great care is being offered here with all of our doctors and nurses signing a pledge that people won't have to wait the average of 28 days from detection of a problem to finding out they need surgery. This is the standard amount of waiting time for other facilities across the country. Muransky said, Our pledge is why not have a diagnosis to the patient it in one day."

There are separate men's and women's waiting rooms offering Spa-like amenities, such as heated robes, slippers, along with a dedicated Nurse Navigator to help facilitate faster follow up care when needed.