JACKSON, Wyo. — St. John’s Health (SJH) was recently gifted funds to purchase four new point-of-care ultrasound units, which are already in use at the Teton Village Clinic, Lander Clinic, the Birth Center and the Emergency Department at the hospital.
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust granted $273,054 to the St. John’s Health Foundation, the fundraising arm of SJH, for the purchase of the units. The funding is part of a larger statewide initiative to expand ultrasound services, totaling $13.9 million.
According to a press release from the SJH Foundation, ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to produce images of structures inside the body. The safe, cost-effective tool supports other clinical information to help providers make timely diagnoses and provide appropriate treatment.
The ultrasound unit at the Teton Village Urgent Care Clinic has reportedly helped diagnose possible organ trauma for injured skiers and snowboarders.
“We have also used it to detect cardiac activity during codes to guide resuscitation efforts,” Nurse Lead Jennifer Hoover said. “It has been a very helpful tool to have since we do not have a CT scan on-site.”
Buckrail spoke with St. John’s Health Chief Communications Officer, Karen Connelly via email about the possibility of the new units expanding care in the SJH Birth Center following the decline in OB/GYN services locally.
In June 2023, Jackson Hole Care for Women, a private OB/GYN clinic on Cache Street shut its doors after 16 years. Then in November 2023, Women’s Health and Family Care, which provided OB/GYN care and pediatric services, announced they too were closing, “I don’t believe that the new equipment will affect access in either the Birth Center or the private OB practice,” Connelly said. “However, it will be great for ease of ultrasound for patients and the clinical staff.”
