Nelson residents now have access to improved CT service at Kootenay Lake Hospital.
Effective June 27, CT service in Nelson will expand to include 24/7 on-call emergency coverage.
"This expansion of diagnostic imaging service in Nelson is a testament to the community partners who made the purchase of the CT scanner possible," said Norman Embree, Interior Health Board Chair.
"I'd like to thank the Kootenay Lake Hospital Foundation and all the donors, large and small, who funded this equipment and credit our diagnostic imaging staff, who acquired the additional skills and training that allowed us to move forward with this expanded service."
In addition to 24/7 on call, Interior Health will be providing an additional hour of CT service to ensure emergency and inpatients can be scanned earlier each morning. Scheduled exams will still be performed from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.
The Nelson CT Scanner was funded by the community through donations to the KLH Foundation. It was part of the $15 million Kootenay Lake Hospital emergency department redevelopment project.
"This is wonderful news and I know that our communities served by the CT scanner will be very pleased to see this expanded service," says Foundation Chair Pat Dooley.
"I commend the staff who took part in training to better serve our communities with such an important piece of equipment. The Kootenay Lake Hospital Foundation is delighted that we were able to mobilize so many people to work in partnership with Interior Health and so many others to purchase this piece of equipment."
Weekday CT service at Kootenay Lake Hospital started in December 2011. As with other new CT services, the initial priority was making sure the new service was running smoothly before moving to a broader 24/7 call. It was also important to have a full rotation of trained technologists in place to ensure a stable expanded service.
"All the pieces are now in place to move ahead with this expanded level of service to support after hours emergency care in Nelson," said Thalia Vesterback, Director of Diagnostic Imaging for IH East.
"We appreciate the patience of our physicians, staff and the community while we made sure we were ready to move to 24/7 service. This will support the excellent care our clinical teams are already providing at Kootenay Lake Hospital."
Interior Health will continue to monitor CT service in Nelson to ensure it is meeting the needs at Kootenay Lake Hospital.
For more information, visit interiorhealth.ca.