June 17 was indeed an historic day for health care in Haliburton County.
A new, German-made CT scanner arrived at the hospital after being driven to the County from Mississauga by a transportation and storage company.
The machine will be installed as soon as construction of the new CT area is finished, which is expected by the end of the month.
Appointments will soon be scheduled, and it is anticipated there will be around 20 pre-booked outpatient procedures during the day, with availability for emergencies in the evening and overnight.
Thanks to the generousity of Scott and Chere Campbell – who have committed up to $1 million for the project ($500,000 as an initial pledge and matching community donations up to another $500,000) the HHHS Foundation is more than three-quarters of the way there. And let’s not forget that County taxpayers have already donated $1 million and the Cockwell family another half-million. The goal is $4.3 million. We challenge the community to match the Campbells.
We can only imagine how excited EMS chief Tim Waite is about all of this. It will mean one of his ambulances won’t be taking patients out-of-town for routine, and emergency, CT scans. One hundred locals a week won’t have to drive the hour-plus to outlying hospitals to get the diagnostic imaging done.
Meanwhile, Kawartha North Family Health Team has announced it now has a virtual care nurse practitioner staffing the clinic at the former Minden ER in addition to its regular nurse practitioner on select days.
This past Monday, however, the clinic only had virtual care available. Regular service resumed on Tuesday.
While things such as suspected urinary tract infection, pink eye, yeast infections, sinus congestion, tick bites, prescription renewals, certain ear pains, and a long list of other things can be attended to virtually, there is an equally long list that cannot. People should check the KNFHT website for what can be done, versus what cannot, before going to the urgent care clinic in Minden, since the virtual nurse will likely just send them to Haliburton hospital anyway for certain injuries and ailments.
It will be interesting to see how staffing at the clinic goes over its second very busy summer in the Highlands.
At the end of the day, while we are pleased the County is finally getting a diagnostic tool every other County in Ontario already has – it does not negate the fact that an emergency room was closed in our community last June. And if the urgent care clinic struggles with staffing this summer and has to use more virtual than in-person care, that is a concern.
So, by all means celebrate the arrival of a CT scanner – and hopefully mammography CT soon – but never forget that one of two ERs has closed in the Highlands and we have an urgent care clinic that does come with its own set of challenges. The fact it is now open seven days a week for the summer, though, is most welcome.
