Cutting-edge MRI now a reality in Bladen County

ELIZABETHTOWN – The new outpatient building housing a cutting-edge outpatient MRI has been a vision on the drawing board for quite a while.

On Friday the vision came out of the planning and construction phases and has become a full functioning reality at 507 Doctor’s Drive in Elizabethtown. With a ribbon cutting and special ceremony the Cape Fear Valley Outpatient MRI was officially opened to the health community and the Bladen County public.

“This is huge for me,” Spencer Cummings, president of the Cape Fear Valley – Bladen County Hospital. “But I think it’s even a bigger thing for the community. We’re bringing services that we had two days a week to now, five days a week. Access to this MRI is going to be a lot easier to get to. It’s going to have better results; faster results and it’s right here in your own backyard.”

Cummings said that one of the big challenges was getting access to the building that would house the new cutting-edge MRI.

“We didn’t own the building,” Cummings said. “But Nancy Phillips was kind enough to sell us the building – so that was the major piece of it. After that, it was just construction timeline, supplies and materials to get everything on track.”

The building that was purchased by Cape Fear Valley Health is 1800 sq. feet and the building, according to Cummings had the right bones to house the MRI.

“This building was constructed in the ‘60s,” Cummings said. “The Phillips were the original proprietors in ’72 – ’73 and the building is still going strong today so we want to carry that history forward. And through some of the donations of the camera grants that we got, we were able to get a piece of equipment that will show a video of a serene environment with some sounds to it – giving a calming effect while patients are in the MRI.”

Cummings addressed the large crowd of health care professionals and community members telling them that the new MRI building – located behind the hospital stands on the site of the former Phillips Internal Medical Practice run by Phillips late husband Bruce A. Phillips Jr.

“He was the only internal medicine doctor in the city and the county at the time,” Cummings said. “He chose to bring his services to an under-served community and he chose Elizabethtown.”

Cummings then recognized some of the people who were instrumental in bringing a permanent MRI to Elizabethtown. He mentioned Dan Weatherly, Stephen Fife, Alison Horne and Anthony Brisson, Sandy Godwin, Eizabeth city officials, County officials, Blake Construction and Amber Bordeaux.

“This new MRI facility is a testament of our commitment to providing high quality health care close to home,” Cummings said.

Cummings, born and raised in Clarksdale, Mississippi, went on to get his master’s degree at Fayetteville State University in 2017.

When he came to Elizabethtown, he was working as the VP of surgical services and he felt led to apply for the position. After the process of hiring had been accomplished, he started with boots on the ground Oct. 18, 2023.

“I’m still under the Cape Fear Valley umbrella and this is just one of the campuses,” Cummings said. “The first thing I did was learn. I had to find out all the activities we have going on. We do have our own board here and when we came down here there were not a lot of clinics. We started listening as to what services were needed and we started putting physicians in different areas to take care the needs. Now it’s just not the hospital alone, but we also have clinics that are Cape Fear Valley clinics that help to support the community and also provide a local place where they can get services.”

Cape Fear Valley is a critical care access hospital and they are bound by a 25 bed maximum and an ED that is 24/7. You also have to be 35 miles from the nearest hospital. Critical access means that more people have access to the care provided. It’s not about the dollars at that point in time as there are monies available for the health facility to take care of the costs from that perspective.

“We started the growth to access to care providing different types of providers,” he said. “We have podiatry, pediatrics, family care, express care – so you can get access to them. We also have certified ED physicians rather than local family practice doctors.”

Sabrina Brooks, vice president of the Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation was also on hand at the ceremony to offer her thanks and encouragement as this project officially was revealed.

“I see all the philanthropic efforts for the health system,” Brooks said. “Today everybody from Cape Fear Valley Health celebrates with all the citizens of Bladen County the addition of this important imaging equipment to your community. We strive to meet the local health care needs in the communities we serve. This MRI is an example of our efforts to provide services where they are needed. I would like to take a moment to thank one of our regional funders and their contributions to this project. The Camber Foundation is a relatively new funder in Eastern North Carolina. They have a focus on health and wellness. Their stated goal is to improve access to the broad spectrum of resources that promote optimal health and well-being for communities, individuals, families so that all can thrive. When we approached them for support on this project, they were quick to get involved and provided some substantial financial support to help bring this service to Bladen County.”

Brisson, the manager of radiology for Bladen County Hospital addressed the crowd and expressed his gratitude.

“It is a true privilege to share this milestone with all of you culminating a vision that began nearly five years ago,” Brisson said. “Today we launch a new standard of imaging technology and exceptional care for our community.”

Brisson then went on to explain what the open MRI could provide and how it operates.

“It’s an open-air MRI which makes scans more comfortable especially for those who dread tight spaces,” Brisson said. “It also includes a 550 lb. table which makes this unit unlike any other in the health system at this time. This machine uses AI software to make exams quicker and also uses biometrics technology that uses smart sensors to adapt to each patient’s anatomy and breathing giving us sharper images and fewer ‘do-overs.’ This is what happens when talented people come together with a shared purpose. Our goal is to deliver the best care possible while being empathetic, treating our patients the way we would like to be treated while producing the best while producing the best diagnostic images possible through higher technologies and innovations.”

Jeane Pope, the foundation gifts officer then addressed the crowd, recognizing the donors who came together to support this project.

“Today we have the privilege of sharing a few naming opportunities that have played a pivotal role in completing this project,” she said. “First and foremost, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you toe the Bladen County Hospital Foundation Board.”

Pope then invited the board chairman, Charles Ray Peterson to come forward to receive a certificate of recognition.

She then went on to explain that a room has been named in memory of a family member who required an MRI and had to be sent elsewhere.

“This family’s generosity ensures that future patients will have access to state-of-the-art MRI equipment right here at Bladen, eliminating the need to travel,” she said. “Their dedication to our community and support for BCH and CVF is truly commendable.”

The final certificate of recognition was then announced and given to Elizabethtown’s own, Sylvia Campbell.

“We are honored to recognize someone with a rich history of service to our hospital and community. Mayor Sylvia Campbell, whose parent served on the Foundation Board for many years and chose to spend their final moments here at Bladen. Her family has named the waiting area in her honor.”

Campbell who was taken by surprise with the honor addressed the crowd and said, “I didn’t know about this. I thought I was only invited here to cut the ribbon. But I do want to just take a moment on behalf of the town of Elizabethtown to thank Cape Fear Valley for the excellent health care that they provide here at this hospital. And this new facility is only going to enhance that health care. We love our hospital and we thank you for the investment that you continue to make. And thank you for this honor. This is a real treasure and I thank you so very much.”

Following the ribbon cutting, the people who attended the celebration were invited to come through the doors for refreshments and to see the silent, hard-working star of the show – which was the Magnetic resonance imaging machine.

Spencer Cummings spoke about a seed that was planted years ago.

“You planted a seed and now, we are going to bring in the harvest,” he said.