NEWS

Donors Fund CT Scan Technology

When the life of a loved one hangs in the balance, we all want to be assured they will receive the best treatment available with the latest, state-of-the-art equipment to diagnose illness or injury.

At the centre of diagnosis is the 64-slice CT scanner. In December, 2006, Four Counties Health Services Foundation and Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital Foundation launched the It’s About Time campaign to raise $2.5 million dollars to purchase a CT scanner for the Middlesex Hospital Alliance (MHA).

“A CT scan can mean the difference between life and death, it’s now considered by many physicians to be an absolute necessity to catch disease in an early stage,” said Dr. Jon Dreyer, Chief of Staff at Four Counties Health Services.

For patients the scanner means a much faster diagnosis of stroke, cancer, brain damage or bodily trauma, along with many other injuries or disease. With a quicker diagnosis, treatment can be initiated much more quickly.

Patients stand to benefi t more than ever from strengthened diagnostic imaging services. Image quality of a CT scan is far superior to X-rays. Doctors will be able to provide more informed treatment decisions for people, right in their own community.

Currently patients of the MHA must travel to other hospitals and endure the wait times of those other facilities for a CT scan. Having the scanner means that a population of more than 80,000 people in Middlesex, Lambton, Elgin and Kent counties will have immediate access to sophisticated diagnostic imaging technology.

“Four Counties Hospital will own 25% of the CT Scanner,” said Dorothy Gillies, Co-ordinator of the Four Counties Health Services Foundation. “We still have a long way to go in fundraising to get the CT, but with the generosity and support of the community, we continue to make strides toward our goal.”