Community project funding/congressionally directed spending - construction - we are seeking to upgrade imaging capability to high-resolution 3D mammography at the elliot breast health center

This federal Project Grant award of $577,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Healthcare Systems Bureau was provided to the Elliot Hospital of the City of Manchester in New Hampshire under the Congressional Directives (CFDA 93.493) program. The funding will be used to upgrade the hospital's mammography imaging capabilities by replacing aging equipment with high-resolution 3D mammography technology. This upgrade will enable the hospital to take one tomographic image and synthesize a 2D image, reducing radiation exposure to patients by approximately 50% while also providing higher quality images for improved pathology detection and increased radiologist efficiency. Additionally, the new equipment will allow the hospital to screen an additional 2 patients per day, per machine, improving access to critical preventive healthcare services in the local community. The award period of performance runs from September 30, 2024 through September 29, 2027.

This technology allows US to take one tomographic image and synthesize a 2D image from IT without exposing the patient twice. IT reduces dose by approximately 50%. IT also provides higher quality images for pathology detection and increase radiologist efficiency in interpretation. This upgrade of 3 machines will enable US to see an additional 2 patients per day, per machine. Our current mammography equipment was installed in 2013. The radiologist monitors are now at end of life per hologic (documentation is filed) and will be further supported unless replaced. These monitors are 7 years old. The upgrade of these machines will improve efficiency, allow our providers to screen more patients, reduce patient radiation dose and exposure and replace an aging infrastructure. Other benefits will decrease our high-risk clinic backlog for screenings, improve safety and reduce downtime from older equipment.