Garfield County Commission approves $3 million for hospital MRI and buildout

Commissioner Debs moved and the chair seconded a measure to provide $3,000,000 from county funds to buy an MRI and construct an imaging suite at the local hospital, and the board voted to approve the funding.

Diane Brown, identified in the record as a hospital representative, introduced the proposal and turned the presentation over to Craig (finance) and Brady (clinical). Brady said regional centers are averaging roughly 60 to 65 MRIs per month and that many local patients travel to Cedar City or other facilities, creating backlogs of three to six weeks. Brady said an on-site MRI would improve clinical efficiency and patient experience and allow some patients to start therapy or surgical planning sooner: "I feel like we provide we will improve our clinical efficiency," Brady said.

Craig presented the financial case: a new fixed MRI was estimated at about $1,500,000 and construction and room fit-out were estimated at roughly $1,500,000, for a total capital ask of about $3,000,000. He said operating costs might run about $200,000 per year and projected a payback period of roughly seven years based on current volume assumptions. Presenters also described a lower-cost interim option — leasing a trailer-mounted MRI — but said that option is less accurate and exposes patients to outdoor transfers in winter.

Commissioners asked for clarifications on payer mix and Medicare Advantage impacts and urged scrutiny of equipment selection and service contracts. One commissioner recommended using commonly serviced equipment so service teams from the nearest regional vendor could respond quickly. The chair said the county's hospital-tax fund could be used and noted the fund had no outstanding debt; commissioners discussed applying for CIB (Community Impact Board) support when the board meets in September.

After discussion, Commissioner Debs moved to approve the $3,000,000 request and the chair seconded. The motion passed with the verbal 'aye' votes recorded on the public record.

Next steps noted in the meeting record included deeper review of reimbursement assumptions, confirmation of equipment and service options, and presenting finalized specifications to the hospital board. The commission later recessed into executive session on litigation before adjourning.