Liberty Pacific Medical Imaging Unveils State-of-the-Art Imaging Site in Castro Valley, Calif.; Center Features First 3T MRI Technology of Its Kind in the East Bay Area.

Center Features the Latest in 3T MRI Technology, Offered in Spa-Like, Comfortable Outpatient Setting

ENCINO, Calif. -- Liberty Pacific Medical Imaging (LPMI), a developer, owner and operator of diagnostic imaging centers, announced today the opening of its latest outpatient diagnostic imaging center in Castro Valley, Calif. This marks the company's fourth location in California.

The new 7,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art imaging facility, which operates as Castro Valley Advanced Medical Imaging, is located at 21030 Redwood Road in Castro Valley, 94546; telephone: [phone]. The center will primarily serve patients residing in California's East Bay-area communities, including those in Berkeley, Hayward, Union City, Pleasanton, Fremont, Dublin and Danville as well as surrounding areas.

Castro Valley Advanced Medical Imaging features the latest in cutting-edge imaging technologies including a GE Signa Excite 3.0 Tesla High Definition MRI; a GE 32-slice VCT LightSpeed scanner; and a GE Digital 74 Kilowatt Silhouette X-Ray unit. All of these are offered in a comfortable, relaxing, spa-like setting, aimed at maximizing patient comfort and care.

The 3T is the next generation high-field magnetic resonance scanner and provides the best image quality available in the marketplace today. High-density imaging provides clearer views and faster scan times. In addition to scanning significantly faster than other units used today, the 3T also has the ability to perform a range of diverse scan types. Any exam, from neuro, musculoskeletal and abdominal imaging to functional and cardiac studies, contrast-enhanced angiography and spectroscopic imaging, can be completed more efficiently and quickly using a 3T. Additionally, the unit offers clinical versatility and customization capabilities that are tailored to meet a center's specific needs.

The GE 32-multi-slice CT is one of the most potent tools for the early detection, diagnosis and staging of cancer and heart disease and is being embraced widely in the general radiology arena. The VCT LightSpeed series of scanners that LPMI has installed combines superior resolution with outstanding coverage, making the imaging of difficult patients or procedures easier and more routine. By collecting massive volumes of data, the scanner can detect the smallest anatomy allowing the physician to view these images in a superior 3-D format. This breakthrough is changing the way cardiologists and other medical specialists utilize diagnostic imaging.

Castro Valley Advanced Medical Imaging will also offer a cardiovascular computed tomography angiography (CVCTA) program, aimed at providing high-resolution, in-depth cardiac studies, which analyze and reveal detailed information about heart function.

Concurrent with the opening of the new Castro Valley center, LPMI named Katherine Snider to the post of center manager. Snider will be responsible for overseeing center operations. She brings more than 10 years of related experience to Castro Valley Advanced Medical Imaging.

Castro Valley Advanced Medical Imaging has entered into a partnership agreement with Bay Imaging Consultants Medical Group, a local radiology group that will read the studies performed at the center. Bay Imaging Consultants Medical Group is headed by Dr. Jimmy Cardoza, who serves as medical director.

"With the opening of this new center, we are bringing the latest in imaging technologies to the Castro Valley and East Bay communities. There is no other imaging center within a 15-20-mile radius that boasts any similar features. Previously, residents throughout the East Bay had to travel great distances to receive top-level imaging care and capabilities. Castro Valley is a prime location for our company's plan to expand our network in that there is no comparable facility in the area. We are pleased to offer patients, physicians and payors the type of technological advancements, care and service that LPMI patients and referring physicians in other markets we serve have grown accustomed to," noted Steven R. Renard, president and chief operating officer at LPMI.

"Additionally, our new center is staffed with seasoned imaging professionals including technologists and administrative members and we have forged a relationship with a reading radiology group that is unsurpassed in the area. We are well positioned to serve the Castro Valley community and look forward to contributions we can make to the local medical arena by keeping on top of the latest in imaging technologies and services," Renard concluded.

Castro Valley Advanced Medical Imaging is open Monday-Friday from 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM PT and on Saturdays, by appointment only.

LPMI currently operates three imaging centers throughout California (in Encino, Long Beach and San Francisco) and anticipates the opening of two high-end multi-modality sites by the end of 2006. Another center is expected to open in Columbus, Ohio in December 2006.

Encino, Calif.-based Liberty Pacific Medical Imaging (LPMI) develops, owns and operates medical diagnostic imaging centers, primarily in Northern and Southern California. LPMI offers high technology imaging solutions in the areas of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), ultrasound and fluoroscopy.

LPMI also operates a management company, Liberty Pacific Medical Management (LPMM), that provides its imaging center clients with operational leadership and support services. San Francisco-based LPMM applies its extensive experience in the successful operation of profitable centers nationwide to clients and delivers a broad range of management services including site development, business planning, daily operations, strategic marketing, payer contracting/credentialing, billing/collections, accounting, information systems, compliance, human resources management, GPO purchasing, utilization management and construction for facility build-out.