...And the Grand Prize Goes to... Lockport Memorial Hospital, Winner of Siemens National 'Win an MRI' Contest
26 January 2008 - 12:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
First-Ever Online Video Contest Celebrates America's Smaller
Hospitals; Communities Come Out in Droves to Support Their Hometown
Facilities MALVERN, Pa., Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Drum roll,
please... The winner of the Siemens "Win an MRI" contest is
Lockport Memorial Hospital in Lockport, N.Y. The hospital is the
recipient of a brand new MAGNETOM(R) ESSENZA -- one of Siemens'
latest developments in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology,
brought to market in October 2007. Lockport Memorial Hospital won
the MRI -- worth approximately $800,000 -- through a
first-of-its-kind online video competition hosted on
http://www.winanmri.com/. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070904/SIEMENSLOGO ) Lockport
Memorial Hospital, a 134-bed facility in upstate New York, made its
case for why it needs a fixed MRI in a staff-produced video that
demonstrates the complications and inconveniences posed to patients
and physicians when a hospital lacks an in-house MRI. Currently,
when a Lockport physician prescribes an MRI to a patient, the
patient must travel to an off- site facility, such as a private
diagnostic imaging center or another hospital, to get an MRI. Every
second counts in healthcare, and this process could delay diagnosis
and treatment time. Once installed, however, the MAGNETOM ESSENZA
will be available for diagnostic imaging 24-hours a day, greatly
increasing patient access to MRI and improving overall quality of
patient care. "We are a small hospital that, much like most
community hospitals in this country, struggled with how to afford a
state-of-the-art MRI machine," said Clare Haar, Chief Executive
Officer of Lockport Memorial Hospital. "We are thrilled to have won
the competition for the Siemens MAGNETOM ESSENZA, as it will allow
us to expand the diagnostic care that we provide to our community,
addressing their healthcare needs better than ever before." About
"Win an MRI" Siemens launched "Win an MRI" on October 22nd,
inviting healthcare facilities that met the contest criteria to
display their creativity and dedication to patient care in brief,
online videos that showcased why they considered their institution
most deserving of the free MRI. Siemens' goal in running the
contest was to increase its brand recognition and introduce its new
MRI specifically designed and priced to meet the needs and budgets
of community hospitals, a healthcare market typically unable to
afford such diagnostic devices. Lockport Memorial Hospital competed
against more than 100 other hospitals nationwide that posted their
most creative, humorous or emotionally appealing video to the
campaign Web site. These unique videos caused a media buzz across
the country, intensifying the competition with public appeals for
votes. In just two months, the contest generated over 2.68 million
video viewings and 1.4 million total votes. "America's smaller
communities have come to trust and rely upon their local hospitals
to address their healthcare needs, but many of these hospitals do
not have the resources to provide a full range of diagnostic
services," said Jeffrey Bundy, Ph. D., vice president, Magnetic
Resonance, Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. "'Win-an-MRI' has
helped to raise awareness of the extraordinary work that these
hospitals do, and Siemens is thrilled to provide a new MRI to
Lockport Memorial, expanding their ability to provide first-class
medical treatment to their local community." The MAGNETOM ESSENZA
The MAGNETOM ESSENZA, which was introduced to the market in October
2007 and developed specifically for the small hospital market, is
expected to help physicians deliver improved imaging services in
neurology, orthopedics, body imaging, angiography, cardiology,
breast imaging, oncology and pediatric imaging. The lowest-cost new
system available today, the MAGNETOM ESSENZA boasts 1.5-Tesla
magnet strength. It generates high-resolution images that will help
clinicians make a more precise diagnosis and could eliminate the
need for expensive and time-consuming follow-up exams. About
Siemens Healthcare Siemens Healthcare is one of the world's largest
suppliers to the healthcare industry. The company is a renowned
medical solutions provider with core competence and innovative
strength in diagnostic and therapeutic technologies as well as in
knowledge engineering, including information technology and system
integration. With its laboratory diagnostics acquisitions, Siemens
Healthcare will be the first fully integrated diagnostics company,
bringing together imaging and lab diagnostics, therapy, and
healthcare information technology solutions, supplemented by
consulting and support services. Siemens Healthcare delivers
solutions across the entire continuum of care -- from prevention
and early detection, to diagnosis, therapy and care. The company
employs more than 49,000 people worldwide and operates in 130
countries. In the fiscal year 2007 (Sept. 30), Siemens Healthcare
reported sales of euro 9.85 billion, orders of euro 10.27 billion,
and group profit of euro 1.32 billion. Further information can be
found by visiting http://www.siemens.com/healthcare .
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070904/SIEMENSLOGO
DATASOURCE: Siemens Healthcare CONTACT: Tom Schaffner of Siemens
Healthcare, +1-610-448-1477, Web site:
http://www.usa.siemens.com/medical
http://www.siemens.com/healthcare http://www.winanmri.com/
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