Community project funding/congressionally directed spending - construction - as the only public academic medical center in georgia, augusta university medical center (aumc) accommodates patients…

Community project funding/congressionally directed spending - construction - as the only public academic medical center in georgia, augusta university medical center (aumc) accommodates patients from all over the state of georgia. AU health's existing MRI units have served patients from georgia and forty states. Augusta university health plans to replace its end of useful life MRI equipment, as the current machines are 20 and 27 years old. Aumc is the only public academic medical center in georgia and part of the mission is to provide care for the population of georgia; as such, provided over $180M in uncompensated care last year. Aumc has not requested federal assistance for the full cost of this project, rather requested a little less than 1/4 of the cost from the federal government to help cover the cost of the MRI machines and will use internal capital funds to complete the remainder of the equipment and construction costs. AU health performs an average of 8,400 MRI scans annually on georgia residents. With these new machines, AU health will increase the capacity of MRI imaging to help further accommodate the anticipated 80,000 annual MRI scans predicted by 2029. The growth in MRI needs is anchored by double digit percentage growth in three service lines for which AU health is a primary provider; cardiology, cancer, and neurosciences.