Submitted Photo An ultrasound technician scans a patient. A grant from the Helmsley Charitable Trust is providing ultrasound equipment to health centers across North Dakota.

The Heart of America Medical Center has been awarded $468,841 for ultrasound equipment from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, the trust announced this week.

The grant will fund point of care and diagnostic ultrasound equipment for the hospital as well as point of care ultrasound devices that can be used in the clinics in Rugby, Dunseith and Maddock.

Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to produce images of structures inside the body. This safe, cost-effective tool supports other clinical information to help providers make timely diagnosis and provide appropriate treatment, the news release from the Helmsley Charitable Trust stated.

Statewide, the trust granted $27.4 million to help 69 North Dakota hospitals and health centers purchase 215 ultrasound imaging devices and train the state’s sonography workforce.

Brian Thompson, radiology manager at Heart of America, said the local health system has leased its ultrasound equipment but now will be able to purchase equipment.

“With it being brand new, the software on it, the imaging capability, is much better than what we have had in the past,” he said. “It’s going to be, overall, better imaging quality.”

The medical center also for the first time will have an obstetrical probe for 3D imaging, he said.

The point of care ultrasound units will allow for fast scans, which will be valuable in obstetric care in the clinics and in emergency room situations to reduce wait time for radiology services, Thompson said. Point-of-care ultrasounds also can assist with inserting intravenous lines (IVs) in situations in which finding veins may be difficult.

Heart of America previously has used hand-held ultrasound devices, but the new portable machines offer far better quality imaging, Thompson said.

In addition, the Helmsley trust is paying for training over the next couple of years to enable providers to accurately and effectively use the new equipment, he said. The technology could serve Heart of America for some years to come.

“We are probably set up for the next four-five years and then after that, we have our own equipment to trade in on something new, so you get that value out of it also,” Thompson said.

Walter Panzirer, a trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust, said the grants will help improve access to topnotch medical treatment for North Dakotans, whether they live in Fargo, Bismarck, or Grand Forks, or a smaller rural community such as Bottineau, Rugby, or Hettinger.

“These grants will help ensure that hospitals and health centers across North Dakota have the latest in state-of-the-art ultrasound equipment and training,” Panzirer said in the news release. “Facilities need to stay current with rapidly advancing technology so they can continue to provide the very best healthcare close to home.”

More than half of the 215 devices purchased through the grants (134) are point of care ultrasound machines, which are used by providers at the bed or tableside for immediate assessment of a patient to quickly determine a course of action. The grants also will provide 57 general ultrasound systems and 24 cardiovascular ultrasound systems, which aid in imaging of the heart.

The initiative includes nearly $1.9 million to North Dakota State University and nearly $3.8 million to High Quality Medical Education to expand sonographer expertise and provide comprehensive point of care ultrasound training to doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners.

The Helmsley Charitable Trust has committed a total of $72 million to fund ultrasound equipment and training initiatives for rural communities and underserved populations in Nevada, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wyoming.