HBDHB receives $175,000 Lion Foundation grant

3 July 2006

HBDHB receives $175,000 Lion Foundation grant to help combat killer disease

Hawke's’ Bay District Health Board (HBDHB) are delighted to be recipients of a grant from The Lion Foundation to enable the purchase of specialised cardiac MRI equipment to help in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease.

Around 28,000 Hawke’s Bay people are at risk of heart disease and as Board chair Kevin Atkinson says “We made an application to The Lion Foundation for funding to enable us to deliver a comprehensive cardiac imaging service here in Hawke's Bay Our application was approved and I thank The Lion Foundation for their support in enabling us to more effectively tackle heart disease, which is the biggest killer of Hawke’s Bay people.”

The grant will be used to purchase a cardiac array coil and associated software, says Sean Skea, head of HBDHB’s MRI department, and will allow non-invasive assessment and diagnosis of heart disease.

“Once the equipment is installed we have the ability to assess and diagnose patients in a non-invasive way and with a very high level of detail. This is the gold standard technique for measuring cardiac viability. This will enable us to make earlier and more accurate diagnosis for conditions such as coronary artery disease, heart failure and congenital heart disease. For our patients it means we won’t need to send them to Auckland for their scans, we will have the tools and expertise right here” says Skea.

“Tackling heart disease is a priority for this board and with initiatives such as One Heart Many Lives where we are identifying and working with at risk people the community, working with GPs on tools for risk assessment and intervention strategies and now having the most advanced diagnostic tools available to monitor and mange conditions we will be able to make a significant difference in the heart health of Hawke’s Bay people” says Kevin Atkinson.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is MRI?

MRI or Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a diagnostic technique used in radiology that uses a magnetic field to provide three dimensional images of body structures.

What is a cardiac array coil and what will it do?
A Cardiac Array Coil is a piece of specialised equipment which, with its associated software, which will attach to the current MRI machine to provide enhanced non-invasive cardiac images.

ENDS

© Scoop Media