It’s been many years in the making and on Tuesday morning Kootenay Lake Hospital saw its first CT scanner patient.
A massive community fundraising effort undertaken by the Kootenay Lake Hospital Foundation raised $1.3 million last year, paving the way for the vital medical tool's arrival to the local facility. The new scanner suite is part of the $15 million emergency wing renovation that will open early next year.
Before the first patient passed through the scanner Tuesday morning, there was a small gathering of doctors, nurses, technicians and other support staff who have been waiting many years for the unit's arrival.