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Combined effort from fundraisers, province to result in new CT scanner

Nov 2, 2016 | 3:33 PM

The Battlefords Union Hospital is getting a new CT scanner, thanks to a successful fundraiser and a provincial government subsidy.

The hospital foundation announced on Wednesday, Nov. 2 it reached its fundraising goal of $600,000 which the province will match to purchase a new scanner.

“It’s with heartfelt thanks that we say to everybody that we’re so grateful for the support and for the time that they put in,” BUH Foundation executive director Claudette McGuire said. “We’re not that big of a community so for us to reach such a goal is a privilege indeed.”

The current machine is used by roughly 5,000 people from all over northern Saskatchewan each year.

Prairie North Health Region CEO David Fan said the current machine is almost 11 years old and the new machine will be without question a huge improvement.

“This new CT machine will be much, much faster, it will produce better images with greater clarity for diagnostic purposes, but it will also emit much lower doses of radiation,” he said. “On all three counts it will be much more beneficial for the patients.”

Fan said none of this would be possible without the Ministry of Health, the BUH Foundation and the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.

The BUH Foundation met the goal of $600,000 in part due to the local Jim Pattison Broadcast Group stations, who hosted a radiothon from the hospital to raise money.

More than $475,000 was raised in one day from the radiothon, which was hosted in May by CJNB, Q98 and 93.3 The Rock.

Fan said the fundraising efforts were “a tremendous show of local support” and hopefully the community will see the new machine up and running within a few months.

 

Sarah Rae is battlefordsNOW’s court and crime reporter. She can be reached at Sarah.Rae@jpbg.ca or tweet her @sarahjeanrae.