A CT scanner is coming to St. Joseph’s General Hospital in Elliot Lake.
CEO Pierre Ozolins says the Province of Ontario has approved the hospital’s business case to purchase and operate a CT scanner in the city.
Ozolins expects the room to be ready and the CT scanner to be ordered and on its way by September
2019.
He adds the next steps involve room renovations and the overall program design for the CT scanner, which will be housed in the old x-ray room.
The CEO says the scanner will improve patient care for everyone in the region and reduce overall costs for the hospital. It will also mean that St. Joseph’s General Hospital will no longer have to transport patients to other hospitals for CT services, saving patients time and hardship. These scans are used by physicians to determine organ function, pin point ailments, prepare a biopsy or radiation treatment, as well as diagnose cancers, kidney failures, broken bones and much more.
Ozolins says this has been a huge community effort and says the hospital is very grateful for all of the support it has received.
“Whether it was prayers from the ecumenical community, the support from local Mayor Dan Marchisella and Council, MPP Mike Mantha, Derrick Araneda, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s Dr. Doug Boreham and Dr. Emery Nelson, local First Nation communities: Serpent River, Sagamok and Mississauga, Algoma EMS, Elliot Lake Retirement Living, CIBC, local small businesses and service clubs, our staff, volunteers and physician group; this has been a regional effort to secure approval for a CT scanner. We are sincerely appreciative of their support.”
Ozolins says this could have never happened without the incredible philanthropic work of the St. Joseph’s Foundation led by William Elliott, Board Chair, which has already raised over half of the $1.5 million dollars required to implement this new technology in Elliot Lake.
With the Ministry’s blessing now at hand, Ozolins adds management, staff and the community are ecstatic. He says it was a long and arduous process but it was well worth the effort.
“This CT scanner is an example of what Elliot Lake and the Algoma District can do when we work together. This piece of equipment will help our community hospital continue to provide excellent quality care closer to home.”
“It is particularly important for us to continue to provide safe, effective and compassionate care when our patients are experiencing an illness—and access to diagnosis and treatment options in our home community, not only means timeliness for results, it means that our patients do not have to leave Elliot
Lake or their families to travel to larger or neighbouring centres for specialized services like CT scans,” explained Ozolins. “The overwhelming support of our campaign aligns with our compassion for our community and our efforts to provide the best care right here at home.”
