Heritage Hospital officials are finalizing plans to construct the nearly 1,900-square-foot building that will house a magnetic resonance imaging unit at the radiology department, after years of operating out of mobile units.

The groundbreaking of a new building at the Heritage Hospital in Tarboro is scheduled for this month, said hospital administrators.

Heritage President Wick Baker said the groundbreaking could take place within the next 30 days and that the $1.8 million project — which is being funded by the hospital’s revenues — could be completed within six to eight months.

C. A. Lewis Construction Co. of Greenville was awarded the construction job last month. The new building will be next to the emergency department and patient entrances in the rear of the hospital, facing North Main Street.

An MRI is a noninvasive medical imaging technique used in radiology to screen detailed structures inside of the body.

Baker said hospital administrators have been planning for the expansion project since last year.

The hospital’s current MRI services are contracted out. The 18-wheel mobile unit where patients go to get an MRI is open to patients four days a week.

Baker said the new MRI unit will provide residents around-the-clock service, which could keep them from traveling to neighboring cities for treatment.

“Having that service available will make it more convenient for our patients and avoid travel to Greenville and Rocky Mount,” Baker said in a telephone interview. “If the truck wasn’t there, they would have to go elsewhere for care. With this service, we can address that.”

Baker said the hospital’s radiology department averages about 130 MRI scans a month. He said he expects the new facility and machine availability to boost the monthly scan average to 150 each month.

Baker said he was excited about the expansion because it will add more MRI technicians to the hospital’s staff.

“This is a big deal for us because we’ll be getting the equipment that’s recent for our patients, so that they won’t have to go very far for help,” he said. “We’re very committed to making sure we have the right service for our community.”