It was a time for celebration at Delta Hospital last Tuesday as staff members were finally able to all get a good look at the CT scanner that had arrived back in March. The long-awaited scanner has been extremely busy since becoming fully operational in April, having performed over 800 scans to date.
Up to 20 scans, which take about 30 minutes each, are being done daily at the hospital. This didn’t leave the scanner with much ‘free time’ for other staff to get a first-hand look at the 64-slice state-of-the-art piece of diagnostic equipment. Currently housed in its own facility, the scanner has specialized staff and a dedicated CT technologist that ensures its smooth operation.
Previous to having the scanner, patients in need of a scan were transported by ambulance to other hospitals such as Peace Arch in White Rock. The transport was extremely time-consuming and also required a Nurse from Delta Hospital to accompany the patient. This procedure also added immense costs and could take up to a full day, putting patients at further risk.
Dr. Giri Rao, Chief of Medical Imaging at Delta Hospital is very grateful the community finally has the life-saving and essential CT scanner, standard equipment for any 24 x 7 ER. “The immediate diagnosis we can now provide for our patients makes all the difference in the care we provide. It will save lives,” Rao says. A fast diagnosis at Delta not only leads to much quicker treatment of traumatic injury or illness, it also greatly helps relieve the stress and anxiety associated with not knowing for the patient.
Both Delta Hospital Foundation and hospital staff took part in the quiet celebration, with everyone taking a few moments out of their busy day to tour the CT facility, chat and reflect on the community’s stellar efforts to bring a scanner to the hospital. Raising the $1.7 million needed was not an easy task and the Foundation and hospital staff extended their deep gratitude to the generous community of Delta for the support received during the CT scanner fundraising campaign. |
