Northern Health welcomes news of a new CT Scanner

Monday’s Daily News featured details on the new CT scanner planned for Prince Rupert Regional Hospital. It provides a bit more background on the story than the item we discovered over the weekend.

HOSPITAL WELCOMES ADDITION OF NEW CT SCANNER
The Daily News
Monday, February 19. 2007
Pages one and three

Prince Rupert Regional Hospital will receive an updated CT scanner and a new x-ray room to replace aging medical imaging equipment at the facility.

“The CT Scanner at PRRH not only serves Prince Rupert, but communities along the North Coast and on Haida Gwaii. The hospital’s replacement CT scanner will serve the community well, and provide a back-up to the CT service in Terrace,” said Jeff Burghardt, NH Board chair.

“The new x-ray room will also provide more effective medical imaging capabilities for Prince Rupert patients and health care professionals.”

The replacement CT will provide fast image generation and scan times. The new x-ray room will also have a movable table to give easier access to patients with mobility issues.

Northern Health has approved the purchase of the equipment which will be in place at PRRH by April.

“This is another example of how we are bringing improved medical technology to the North Coast,” said George Abbot, health minister. “This replacement CT scanner means better care for people who use Prince Rupert Regional Hospital.

A computed tomography (CT) scan uses x-rays to make detailed pictures of structures inside of the body. The CT scanner to be installed in Prince Rupert is a 16-slice Toshiba model. It will replace the outdated single slice unit that came to the community through nearly $700,000 in fund raising by the Hecate Strait CT Scanner Society – the forerunner to North Coast Health Improvement Society. That effort provided funding to buy the original CT scanner, and helped pay for extensive renovations.

Both the updated CT scanner and new x-ray unit will work with Northern Health’s Picture Archive and Communications System (PACS). Doctors will be able to view medical images in their offices. PACS also allows specialists in other communities to study medical images from Prince Rupert.

Northern Health will spend $468,000 to buy the equipment and pay for associated upgrades to accommodate the improved units.

The health region will pay for the project with funding from the capital grant, which is provided by the B. C. Government.

“We appreciate the cooperative effort that has led to the replacement of our aging CT scanner, and look forward to the installation of the improved multi-slice scanner in the very near future.” Said Dr. Jeffrey Simons, chair of Prince Rupert Regional Hospital’s Medical Advisory Committee.