HUTCHINSON, Kan. — This Wednesday, a six-ton MRI unit will be hoisted up to 270 feet in the sky high above Hutchinson Regional Medical Center before being lowered by a crane to the back of a semi-truck parked on the hospital campus.

The MRI machine is being replaced by a sophisticated $2 million unit as part of the construction of a new Intensive Care suite, which is slated for dedication in mid-August.

Removing the old MRI unit will require temporarily removing a portion of the hospital roof. That will allow the crane ample space to do the heavy lifting. Once the MRI has been raised in the air, the crane will swing the unit around before gently lowering it on the back of an 18-wheeler for transportation to a salvage yard.

In preparation for the move, as many as 15 semi trucks will arrive at the hospital Tuesday loaded with cargo, including the actual crane along with hundreds of components and parts that are needed to complete a project of this magnitude.

An MRI is used for medical diagnosis without exposing the body to radiation. An advanced MRI was installed in the updated ICU in July with technology and capabilities exceeding similar units in any other healthcare organization in south-central Kansas.