Haliburton Highlands is one step closer to losing its status as the only county in Ontario without a CT scanner.
Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS) announced on Friday (July 7) the Ministry of Health has approved the organization’s request to acquire a CT (computerized tomography) scanner and a mammography unit with CT capabilities.
“Having a CT scanner in Haliburton will facilitate care closer to home for local residents and expedite diagnosis by eliminating travel to distant hospitals for imaging,” says Dr. Mario Voros, chief of radiology at HHHS, in a media release. “Having access to breast cancer screening from the latest state-of-the-art mammography unit will greatly benefit women in Haliburton County.”
A CT scan is a non-invasive medical test that helps physicians diagnose and treat medical conditions with advanced x-ray technology to take images of the body. It has become the standard of care for the diagnosis of many life-threatening conditions such as stroke and trauma and the investigation of abdominal pain.
Mammography is the most effective way of detecting breast cancer in women. With the addition of mammography services, HHHS will be able to provide services in a remote area that is currently underserved and includes over 6,000 at-risk women.
“Diagnostic imaging tools are key to our future success and providing care locally,” says HHHS acting president and CEO Veronica Nelson. “We know that these services will better support the needs of patients with quicker diagnostics, will reduce EMS visits out of the county keeping ambulances available for emergencies, and attract more health care workers including much needed doctors, nurses, and medical radiation technologists.”
While HHHS has now received provincial approval to acquire the diagnostic imaging equipment, they still need to raise funds to support the purchase as the provincial government does not fund hospital equipment.
“We are committed to raising the funds needed with the support of the community,” says HHHS Foundation director Melanie Klodt Wong.
“The HHHS Foundation has been working behind the scenes since the application process began and are working towards launching a major capital campaign in the near future now that HHHS has the go-ahead.”
