West Elgin Council
Supports Excellence in Health Care with $125,000 Pledge to CT Scanner Campaign
West Elgin announces five year pledge in support
of CT scanner campaign at MHA
Newbury, ON – On September 13th,
2007, during the West Elgin Council meeting, Graham Warwick announced that
the Municipality of West Elgin will contribute $125,000 over five years
to the CT scanner campaign of the Middlesex Hospital Alliance.
This brings the campaign to a total
of just over $2 million of the $2.5 million required to pay for the purchase
and installation of a CT scanner now serving patients of both the Newbury
and Strathroy hospital sites. The new scanner is part of a long range
strategic investment in the Middlesex Hospital Alliance that has helped
to expand and improve the technology and support services for patient care.
| “The contribution of $25,000 this
year to the CT scanner campaign is just one step in the process as we will
contribute a total of $125,000 over the next five years. We continue
to reinvest in the health of West Elgin residents to ensure that the health
care services that are the most efficient and effective are here for us,”
said Warwick.
CT scans, also commonly known as
CAT scans produce precise, cross-sectional images of bones, organs, and
soft tissues. The scans are a tremendously valuable diagnostic tool for
physicians when diagnosing many serious illnesses and trauma including
many types of cancer, stroke, and cardiovascular disease.
“I very much appreciate that West
Elgin has made such a generous gift. It is great to live in a community
which takes a leadership position when it comes to supporting local health
care” said Dorothy Gillies, Coordinator, Four Counties Health Services
Foundation.”
Since the CT scanner was installed
in May, over 1000 patients have been scanned, some of which have included
patients from the Four Counties regions, including the Municipality of
West Elgin.
“The shorter distance to travel for
scans and short scanning time provided by the new scanner is good for patients,”
said Tony Wales, Senior CT Technologist at Strathroy Hospital. |
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He says patients who have been scanned
before and had to travel to London or St. Thomas, are enthusiastic about
the high speed of the new scanner and that it is located close to home
for them.
The images are also all digital,
enabling authorised doctors to view them on the PACS system which links
hospitals regionally through the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN),
making the use of film and chemicals redundant.
“I am pleased that the Municipality
of West Elgin is investing in the CT scanner, it has improved access to
care and wait times for the over 5,300 residents and surrounding communities
in their area who are serviced by the West Elgin Health Centre and Four
Counties,” said Sue McLean, CEO, SMGH Foundation.
“Upgrading our health care programs
and services is a high priority for our Municipality and I am pleased that
the CAT scan is in use for our residents,” said Warwick.
The investment in the new CT scanner
located at the Strathroy Hospital site of the Middlesex Hospital Alliance
has helped surrounding municipalities protect the health of their residents
through the addition of technology which physicians consider essential.
With an estimated annual rate of
at least 4,300 scans in its first year, and demand increasing in subsequent
years, the arrival of the CT scanner has provided much greater access to
the most advanced care for life threatening illness and disease.
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