Officials state scanner is good news for the more than 600 clients who need to take a trip outdoors Simcoe-Muskoka each year to gain access to this diagnostic service
A brand-new tool to help identify and treat clients gotten to Barrie’s Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) on Friday.
Trucks bring the very first PET-CT scanner in the area arrived today at RVH, its last stop on a long trek from Germany.
“A PET-CT is a dual imaging system that combines precise diagnostic functionality (the PET) with the anatomical images of organs (the CT scan),” said Heather Gillis, RVH director of operations for medical imaging, pathology and lab medication. “The PET-CT will be most often used to diagnose and monitor patients with cancer.”
She said it’s good news for the more than 600 clients who need to take a trip outdoors Simcoe-Muskoka each year to gain access to this diagnostic service, far from their friends and family, at a time when they are most nervous and scared.
The PET-CT is anticipated to be up and running by the fall, with more than 1,000 scans prepared for to be carried out in the very first year it’s in operation.
The PET-CT got to RVH in numerous pieces, which will be positioned in a momentary storage location in RVH’s primary lobby, surrounding to the Imaging Department, till mid-summer while its irreversible home is being built.
This remodelling is moneyed by a $1-million financial investment from the Ontario federal government to remodel an already designated space within RVH to house the brand-new PET-CT scanner. Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) is moneying the $2.7-million cost of the PET-CT.
Having the PET-CT is likewise enabled by a $500,000 contribution from RVH donor, Barrie Welding and Machine, along with assistance from Jane and Dr. Paul Voorheis, a long time RVH radiologist, previous imaging medical director, and interim chief of staff.
“RVH has always focused on putting the best tools in the hands of the most skilled professionals,” said Gail Hunt, RVH president and CEO. “(Friday) we took another significant step forward to ensure Simcoe-Muskoka residents can more easily access the latest technology, so they can be diagnosed and treated faster, and ultimately on the road to recovery sooner.”