Investing in our world class health system by replacing critical medical imaging equipment
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A computerized tomography (CT) scanner is a type of imaging device used to detect injury or disease and to guide minimally invasive procedures. It uses X-ray images and computer technology to create detailed images of the inside of a patient’s body, including their bones, organs, and soft tissue. At Grand River Hospital, CT scans are commonly a part of both inpatient and outpatient care, including cancer, emergency, and stroke care, as we are the site of Waterloo Region’s regional stroke program. |
In addition to performing scans that help us detect injury and disease, CT scanners can also be used to guide minimally invasive procedures, such as biopsies, fluid drainage, and tumour ablation. These procedures are less invasive alternatives to traditional surgeries, and at Grand River, we perform CT-guided procedures that can’t be done anywhere else in Waterloo Region.
Grand River Hospital is also the designated Regional Stroke Centre in Waterloo Region. To provide this level of care, our staff need to be able to ensure that a CT scanner can be ready and waiting at a moment’s notice when a stroke patient is being transported to the Hospital. Having the ability to act quickly when treating a stroke is critical, and with some CT-guided procedures taking up to three to four hours to perform, having two CT scanners at the Hospital is essential to being able to offer both of these important types of services.
While this CT scanner itself is new to Grand River Hospital, having two CT scanners at the Hospital is not — this new scanner is actually a replacement for a previous scanner from 2005 that had reached the end of its life cycle. Similar to a car with hundreds of thousands of kilometres on it, medical equipment can also only be used for so long before it needs to be replaced. This is where dedicated donors and supporters come in and play an important role in furthering the care our hospitals provide.
Like our CT scanners, which can typically operate for 10 years before they need to be replaced, all of our medical equipment has a finite life cycle. And while our government funds the expenses associated with a hospital’s day-to-day operations, like supplies and staff, hospitals and the communities they serve are also responsible for certain costs, like medical equipment, and associated renovation or construction costs.
When you support Grand River Hospital with a donation, not only do you help us replace critical medical equipment, but your support also gives us the ability to plan ahead and invest in new equipment and innovations. These kinds of resources elevate the care we provide for our communities and make it possible to offer more diagnostic services, treatments, and care locally. By coming together and supporting local health care, we can build a world class health system supporting healthier lives right here, for all of us in Waterloo Region.