By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – As Shelby County’s population has expanded over the past several years, Shelby Baptist Medical Center Marketing and Physicians Relations Specialist Brian Pavlick has developed a comical, but accurate, joke with patients at the hospital.

“These days, it’s difficult just to get from Calera to Alabaster, let alone Calera to downtown,” Pavlick told a few dozen people gathered in the newly updated lobby of the hospital’s Diagnostic Center on the afternoon of July 26. “We’re glad you stopped at (Interstate 65) Exit 238.”

Over the past several months, the Diagnostic Center has served as the genesis for the Alabaster hospital’s $22 million renovation efforts, as it was the first department to receive significant upgrades after Baptist Health System’s merger with Brookwood Medical Center to form Brookwood Baptist Health.

The project began in 2017 in the hospital’s diagnostic center with the addition of new MRI and CT machines and a 3D mammography machine, in addition to the aesthetic updates to the department’s patient lobby. In March, the diagnostic department completely refurbished an older MRI machine with state-of-the-art technology.

On July 26, the department invited the community to celebrate the upgrades, as city leaders, local officials and representatives from the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce had a ribbon cutting ceremony and tour of the department. Following the ribbon cutting, hospital Chaplain Gary Yarbrough offered an invocation to dedicate the facility.

“If you think about it, there’s a lot that has to come through the diagnostic center and facilities: this facility as well as our Tower Imaging location,” Pavlick said. “We see things that people don’t know they have at this time and they will soon have their world changed. Or the positive: They will receive that good report they’ve been praying about.”

In early July, the department conducted its 2,500^th low-dose lung cancer screening, and has become the only facility in Shelby County to offer cardiac MRI services. The hospital also recently achieved three-year re-accreditation for its CT program by the American College of Radiology

“You will see about 200 patients a day come through this door here, so you can see where there was need for this to be updated to be more patient friendly,” Pavlick said. “This is all for the benefit of our patients, our hospital and our community.”