by
John W. Mitchell, Senior Correspondent | September 25, 2017
From the September 2017 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
"Radiation shielding, by nature, is very heavy as there is a direct correlation with density and attenuation," says Parrington. "We design shielding for ease of movement, installation and practicality by using hardware to accommodate for lids on storage and waste containers that can weigh hundreds of pounds and cabinets that weigh up to several thousand pounds."
Parrington also reports that there is a growing demand for portable radiation testing rooms by clients who have a short-term need.
"Rather than use a permanent design in a leased facility, it makes more sense for some customers to have a room that can be easily installed and removed quickly, without the need for structural redesign" he says.
The MarShield portable X-ray room used for medical imaging
device testing contains lead glass, barrier walls and a sliding door
While many customers are expanding into tight, urban footprints, Parrington says they are discovering new sources of space.
"In most urban areas, there are enough buildings available for lease as we are moving toward an online retail society," he says. "These are existing, desirable locations for a customer base, and if the facility can be retrofit to a small medical facility, then it makes more sense than assuming the cost for a new build."
About 80 percent of MarShield’s business is driven by these remodels, which Parrington notes are more complicated projects than new constructions.
Partnering with the right organizations
Nelco Worldwide, which a company source said is the only company in the sector certified by the International Standard of Operations, cites its varied shielding experience for both diagnostic and treatment modalities. For the ground-up construction of the El Paso Center for Integrative Medicine, for example, Nelco designed the shielding for the facility's PET/CT room, linear accelerator vault and the medical oncology space.
The company boasts projects completed in 48 of the top 50 cancer centers in the U.S. and recently inked a co-marketing agreement with IBA for custom, modular radiation shielding solutions for the ProteusONE proton therapy system.
Nelco also specializes in retrofitting existing spaces. In May, the company used its high-density concrete blocks and Guardian swing door to build out a new treatment facility bunker at the Northern Beaches Cancer Care Centre in Sydney, Australia, in five weeks.
