A CT scanner at Bancroft’s hospital will make a world of difference for patients – and taxpayers.
That message comes from North Hastings Hospital executive Director Tammy Davis, who spoke to town council Tuesday to rally support for the “Back the Cat” campaign.
The North Hastings Fund Development Committee is leading the $2 million campaign and expects to have numerous fundraising opportunities and events throughout 2023.
A CT scanner can detect blood clots, brain hemorrhages and other health issues. Currently, North Hastings patients who require a scan go to Belleville to get one.
“We’ll save enough money to operate the CT scanner, just in the amount of transfers we won’t have to do anymore,” she says. “We transfer over 400 patients a year, back and forth to Belleville, per year for a CT scanner. The cost is almost 900 bucks.”
Stacey Daub, President of Quinte Health, the organization that oversees North Hastings Hospital, says a CT scanner at the local hospital will also help recruit and retain quality staff, which is crucial in an era when numerous Ontario hospitals are experiencing staffing shortages.
“Clinicians are going to go to the places that have the tools necessary,” she says. “One of our big challenges in North Hastings right now is recruitment and retention and the CT scanner is absolutely crucial in our ability to attract quality physicians to that hospital.”
Daub says she’s spent time in the area, speaking to residents and she said it’s clear people want more local services, so they don’t have to travel to, say, Belleville General Hospital, for treatments.