A top executive at the University of Missouri says MU Health Care has recruited nine neurosurgeons in the past two years.
MU vice chancellor for health affairs Nim Chinniah tells 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable” that MU Health Care is also currently in the planning stages for a $50-million intraoperative MRI.
“It’s an MRI that sits on a track between two operating rooms so that if you have a patient with a very complex brain tumor, the physicians can then get the benefit of an MRI minutes before surgery begins to figure out exactly the placement of that tumor,” Mr. Chinniah tells listeners.
Mr. Chinniah says that with this new technology, you won’t need to travel to St. Louis or Kansas City if you need to have a brain tumor removed.
He also says they plan a May 23 open house for MU Health Care’s new $232-million Children’s Hospital, which is being built at Hitt and Lake streets, near MU Health Care’s main hospital campus. The new hospital is opening in phases, and MU Health Care expects it to be fully operational in June. Mr. Chinniah tells 939 the Eagle’s Fred Parry that they’re evaluating what to do with Women’s Hospital on Keene street, once the new Children’s hospital opens.
“In the meantime, we already do a lot of outpatient surgeries in the surgical suites, so that will continue,” says Chinniah.
The new Children’s Hospital will also have special outdoor areas for children to play, along with flower gardens and additional places to relax. Mr. Chinniah notes it will also include a Ronald McDonald family room, which will include a full kitchen and laundry facilities.
You can listen to host Fred Parry’s full interview with Mr. Chinniah here.