Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, Councilmember David Catania and Attorney General Peter Nickles joined United Medical Center (UMC) officials to celebrate the completion and cut the ribbon for the first magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit and the hospital’s Advanced Center for Wound Healing for residents east of the Anacostia River. Last November, the District celebrated UMC’s one-year anniversary and highlighted several key initiatives that have greatly improved healthcare for residents East of the River.

Today’s announcement builds on the continued success and improvements of the hospital.“These new additions will greatly improve the quality of healthcare available to residents of the District, particularly those living east of the river, said Mayor Fenty. “I applaud the hard work brought forth by the administration, Councilmember Catania and UMC that’s led to this outstanding progress.” We look forward to continuing to provide our residents with access to high quality healthcare services.”

The installation of the MRI unit is part of the District’s overall effort to assist with significant new investments in medical equipment and building improvements at UMC. Since 2007, the hospital has also received numerous capital and equipment upgrades. This new $1.2 million state-of-the-art unit will provide services for in-patient and out-patient care, eliminating the need to transfer patients to neighboring facilities for services. In addition, it will allow hospital officials to better diagnose disease and detect abnormalities for a broad range of anatomic sites and a wide range of conditions, including stroke, musculoskeletal injuries, abdominal masses, vascular diseases and breast cancer. District officials also unveiled UMC’s new Advanced Center for Wound Healing, a comprehensive facility specifically designed for the treatment of chronic, non-healing wounds such as diabetic problem wounds, bone infection and carbon monoxide poisoning. This facility will also offer multiple hyperbaric chambers for patient use. “This project is a perfect example of how we can leverage our resources to both improve our healthcare system and provide residents with the kind of high quality facilities that they expect and deserve,” said Councilmember Catania. “I look forward to continuing to building on the success of UMC and delivering more innovative and life saving services to residents through this partnership.”“We are pleased to continue providing quality health care for our patients and believe that the addition of these new services will be an asset to the community,” said UMC Chief Executive Officer Frank DeLisi. “

With the introduction of MRI and The Center for Advanced Wound Healing, UMC will now be capable of providing patients with more accurate diagnoses and treatment at the local level.”

The hours of operation for the Wound Care Center are from 8:30am to 5pm; Monday through Friday. The MRI unit is accessible 24 hours-a-day.