Stanly Community College Offers Biomedical Equipment Technology Degree
Established in 1978, the biomedical electronic training program at Stanly Community College is one of two such programs offered at North Carolina colleges.

The accredited institution offers a curriculum that prepares individuals to install, operate, troubleshoot, and repair sophisticated devices and instrumentation used in the health care industry. Emphasis is placed on preventive maintenance and safety inspections to ensure that biomedical equipment meets local and national safety standards. Course work focuses on mathematics, physics, electronics, chemistry, anatomy, physiology, and troubleshooting techniques. In addition to technical information, the BMET program also concentrates on people skills and efficient written and oral communication.

Graduates of the BMET program receive an associate degree and qualify for employment in hospitals, clinics, laboratories, shared service organizations, and manufacturers’ field service. Alumni have demonstrated their skills at hospitals and medical facilities around the globe. For more information on SCC and the BMET program, visit www.stanly.edu  or call (704) 982-0121.

Lake Havasu City to Build Full-Service Hospital
Located in Mohave County, Ariz—listed in the top 5% of the fastest growing counties in the nation—Lake Havasu City is expected to receive a new, full-service community hospital to accommodate the area’s increasing population. Surgical Development Group (SDG of Lake Havasu City, Ariz) plans to begin construction of the new facility this spring, with an expected completion in 2005.

The new hospital, Havasu Community Healthcare, will be a 60-bed facility featuring emergency, ICU, MR, CT, and ultrasound equipment. The facility will emulate and rival the midsize Havasu Regional Medical Center, currently the area’s only medical facility.

“Right now, patients who need specialized care have to travel anywhere from 1 to 31/2 hours to a hospital that can provide specific procedures,” says Surgical Development Group CEO Brent Cherne. “The new facility is a response to the needs of our growing community. We are bringing Havasu City residents something they haven’t seen in decades, a choice in local hospital care.”

The $55 million project, which will operate as a not-for-profit hospital, will help lower health care costs for area patients and create an estimated 180 new jobs.

The highlights of the new hospital, Havasu Community Healthcare’s MRI, CT scanner, ultrasound, and general x-ray equipment, have already obligated a fair amount of preliminary planning.

“As of right now, we are going to contract out most of our servicing,” adds Cherne. “We’d love to add our own biomed department, but that’s still a ways down the road.”