Elmhurst Hospital gets new point-of-care MRI after $500,000 borough funding

NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst says it held a July 6, 2026 ribbon-cutting for a new point-of-care MRI system that brings advanced brain imaging to patients’ bedsides.

In its announcement, the hospital said the acquisition was enabled by a $500,000 allocation from Queens Borough President Donovan Richards’ Office and is intended to let clinicians obtain critical diagnostic information without transporting patients to a traditional MRI suite.

The hospital said it plans to use the new equipment in areas including intensive care and neurosurgery, and in other services where rapid imaging supports clinical decision-making.

What “point-of-care” means here

Here, “point-of-care” is presented as imaging done closer to where care is being delivered—so patients can be scanned while staying in hospital beds, rather than being moved to a separate imaging location. The hospital’s announcement describes the system as supporting 30-minute, noninvasive scans.

The hospital also said the system’s open design is intended to foster a more comfortable, family-inclusive environment while supporting clinical workflows for neurosurgery and trauma teams. It adds that the approach is meant to eliminate the risks and delays associated with transporting vulnerable patients.

Who the hospital says it’s for

NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst emphasized neurological use cases, including care for brain-injured and critically ill patients. The hospital’s announcement quotes its neurosurgical/critical care leadership describing a rapid neuroimaging pathway intended to improve access, safety, and efficiency—along with a goal of timely evaluation and triage of fragile brain-injured patients.

The announcement also includes a broader claim that the hospital is “the first hospital in the nation” where neurosurgeons autonomously operate and fully leverage point-of-care neuroimaging using a portable head MRI reviewed by clinical neuroimagers. As with any single-hospital marketing claim, readers may want to treat that statement as coming directly from the hospital’s own wording rather than independently verified performance results.

Local anchor: where Elmhurst Hospital is and what it lists for ER care

Elmhurst Hospital Center is located at 79-01 Broadway, Elmhurst, Queens. The hospital’s patient/guest information page lists that location and provides the general information number.

For readers planning for emergency care, the NYC Department of Health’s emergency department listing includes Elmhurst Hospital Center and notes that magnetic resonance imaging is among the services listed for the emergency department.

What families can ask next

If you or a loved one is facing emergency care or inpatient treatment where imaging may be needed, you can consider asking the care team whether point-of-care MRI is being used in that unit for that clinical situation, and what it means for next steps in diagnosis and treatment.

Sources

• NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst press release (point-of-care MRI ribbon-cutting; $500,000 Queens borough allocation)
• NYC Department of Health listing: Emergency Departments (includes Elmhurst Hospital Center and MRI service)