The Jefferson Healthcare Foundation was awarded a grant of $163,000 from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to support the purchase of a new nuclear medicine gamma camera for Jefferson Healthcare’s Radiology Department.

The foundation raised money for the nuclear camera purchase through a combination of individual donations and grants. The camera is anticipated to be in place and ready for use by December 2016. It is replacing an older camera that has been in use for more than 15 years.

This upgrade would allow Jefferson Healthcare to expand the level of nuclear medicine examinations for both patients and physicians. The newer technology cuts the time it takes to perform some of the scans, such as a whole-body bone scan, almost in half.

The camera is a medical imaging device that helps physicians get medical information that may otherwise be unavailable. It can identify many types of cancers, heart disease, gastrointestinal, endocrine and neurological disorders, and other abnormalities within the body. It is also used to evaluate cardiomyopathy and identify possible damage to the heart from chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

“I am so proud of the hard work and dedication of our foundation board members,” said Kate Burke, foundation director, in a press release. “We have an incredible group of individuals who are committed to working with Jefferson Healthcare to improve the health of our community. Through our outreach efforts, we received support from an anonymous foundation and many individual and business donors. We are so grateful to our donors and friends.”

Jefferson Healthcare Foundation is inviting those donors to take a sneak peek into the new emergency and specialty services building prior to the opening. For more information, contact Burke at

kburke@jeffersonhealthcare.org or 385-2200, ext. 2014.