Members of Bancroft’s health care community have been in a celebratory mood of late, with Monday’s arrival of a CT scanner at North Hastings Hospital.
But “the party won’t be long,” says Kim Bishop of the North Hastings Fund Development Committee.
Bishop, Chair of the Back the Cat campaign, which made the arrival possible, says she and fellow fundraisers plan to take a “deep dive” into their books to see how they can continue to support the hospital, as CT scan services are phased in.
She made those comments at a Quinte Health board meeting, held in Bancroft, on Tuesday.
When the Back the Cat campaign went public, last spring, the community was told $2.5 million would be needed to get the CT scanner to the hospital.
But, Bishop said earlier that she believes the costs may come in at closer to $2.8 million when construction to make way for the new machine is complete.
In a speech to board members, Bishop praised the North Hastings community for being so supportive of the campaign, and accepting the message that a CT scanner is needed for the hospital.
Once CT scans are offered at North Hastings, patients won’t need to be transferred to other hospitals to treat issues such as brain hemorrhages or blood clots.
“We are going to save lives,” she told the board, triggering applause.
Quinte Health officials say NHH expects to start offering CT scans in the coming weeks and have the machine fully operational in early 2024.