An open house event was held at the Wingham and District Hospital to celebrate the arrival of a new CT scanner.
A media release from the Wingham and District Hospital Foundation shares that over 50 guests attended the celebration touring the new CT suite and viewing the state-of-the-art equipment.
There were guided tours and demonstrations of the new equipment, which was made possible thanks to the hospital foundation's Caring Together campaign that raised $3,600,000.
The new CT scanner means patients in Wingham no longer have to be transferred to other sites for critical medical imaging needs. This "reduces delays in care, supports better clinical decisions, eases the burden of travel on patients and families, and decreases system costs by limiting ambulance use," according to the hospital foundation's media release.
The new CT scanner became operational on June 16, and by this fall, the Wingham site is expected to provide 24/7 access to this vital service.
"We are proud to be the first hospital in Ontario to implement the combined use of Ultravist® contrast dye and the Centargo® contrast injector from Bayer-MEDRAD," said Diagnostic Imaging Supervisor Jaide Campbell. "Paired with the advanced capabilities of the Siemens X-Cite CT Scanner, this will allow us to tailor scans to individual patients delivering more accurate results and a more comfortable patient experience."
"We are deeply grateful to every donor and all the volunteers who helped make this possible," said Nicole Duquette-Jutzi, Executive Director of the Wingham & District Hospital Foundation. "This is life-saving equipment and it’s only here because our community is incredibly committed to supporting our hospital."
"We’re excited about the transformative impact this project will have on patients and families locally," said Esther Millar, President & CEO of the Listowel Wingham Hospital Alliance. "Having CT services available right here in Wingham means faster diagnoses, better outcomes, and care that’s delivered closer to home."