1 fit -b z ae ee ae oy Rd we a 8 ey 4: { The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, November 30, 1994 - AS Scanner celebrates its first birthday SKEPTICS doubted the need for a CT scanner in a small city like Terrace, But 1800 patients later, the scanner has put those doubis ta Test. "We have a six-weck waiting list now,” said Mills Memorial c&hief-executive officer Michael Leisinger. ‘That's clear evidence of the demand in our area,’’ When local doctors first began using the scanner Nov. 8, 1993, Leisinger said the paticnt load was slow. Hospital techicians now run it at least four days a week, some- times five days to catch up with the wailing list. He said about 500 northwest residents were flying to Van- couver or Prince George to be scanned every year. “By the time you pay for flights, hotels, time lost from work and babysitters, we cstimate leaving Terrace for the scan costs about $1,000,’? Leisinger said, “Its probably saved residents about $500,000 out of their pock- et.” The number of medevac flights, each costing about $5,000 per trip, bas probably also been reduced because of a local scan, he said. ‘People don’t have to wait for a Vancouver hospital to try to fit them in — this allows more im- MARTHA BOURELLE was ane the first person to be scanned last mediate diagnosis and treat- ment," said Leisinger, On top of the monetary savings, there is another factor more dif- ficult to account for. “It’s an incalculable cost - the cost of knowing what’s wrong sooner, and you can’t really put a price on that,’’ said Leisinger. Three technicians are trained to operate the scanner at Mills Memorial. It occupies a 1,400 square foot room formerly housing the x-ray and ultrasound room, The room was _— specially renovated for the scanner at the cost of $200,000. The project, called a tum key operation, left General Electric (GE) responsible for all facets of construction and installation. The scan was made at a GE fa- cility in Japan with final assemb- ly at another GE facility in the United States. Itis a prized diagnostic tool, of- fering a three-dimensional image superior to that generated by stan- dard x-rays, Part of the rationale for putting a CT scan in Terrace was to spread its use throughout the northwest. The use of teleradiology - the transmitting of scan images on special telephone lines - would help medical specialists and paticnts in other northwestem towns and cities, Bs year with the new CT scanner at Mills Memorial, LOCAL COMMITMENT brought the CT scanner to Ter- race, The REM Lee Foundation, with help from other local service groups, raised $610,000 in just over three years to purchase a scanner for the Terrace arca, The $200,000 renovations to the scanner room were shared by the regional health district and the health ministry. The ministry also agreed to cover the $250,000 per year oper- ating costs. Among the foundation's ways to raise money was commision- ing Tsimshian artist Roy Vickers te paint a picture of the Terrace area, The original painting was sold locally for $20,000 along with about 45 prints for $1,200 cach. Cash calendars raised about $200,000 in four years. The foundation published the calendars and the Elks handled the sales. Each calendar cost $30 and buyers were eligible for the daily cash draws throughout the year. The 12-member foundation also organized a dinner auction of goods donated by local businesses. “We absolutely depend on the foundation and these kinds of ef- forts,”’. sald Michael Lelsinger of Mills Memorial Hospital. ‘“We’re receiving about one-tenth of the money we necd for new equip- meat from the health ministry.” ‘We need all the service groups or we'd operate at a much lower standard than we do.” While former REM Lee Foun- dation president Bill: McRae is proud of the CT scanner project, he finds the lack of support from — the ministry disappointing. **We’re pleased with the project but our enthusiasm has been dampened by the new directions the ministry has been taking,” said McRae. “Donations lessen when the hospital experiences cut backs - we can start helping so much that the ministry thinks Terrace docsn’t need their money,”? Despite this frustration, the foundation is moving on to ancth- er project for the hospital, While the foundation has al- ready started raising money for a new ullrasound machine, the offi- cial kick-off of the project is Dec, 3. The existing ultrasound ts over 10 years old and will be replaced with a $220,000 machine. ‘We need an updated machine and then we'll use the old ma- chine as a back up,’’ said Leisinger. _ Mills Memorial is currently testing «© various = ultrasound models, ea on veerebte Re WINOne THE REM LEE Foundation raised $610,000 in three years to purchase a CT scanner for Mills Memorial Hospital. Gathered around the final product are the instrumental players in this pro- THE MILLS MEMORIAL CT scanner brought both physical and mental relief to Martha Bourelle, the first person to be scanned in Terrace, She had been suffering from 4 severe burning sensation on the side of her head that her doctor could not diagnose until receiving a scan last fall. “T really thought it was a tumour - it wasn’t even like a migraine because it never went away,” Bourelle ‘said. ‘‘If brought me a lot of fear because I thought there was a possibility 1 was dying,”’ Bourelle said the cost of a trip to Vancouver for the scan was out of the question. “T can't afford to go anywhere right now let alone fly to Van- couver,’’? she said. “I probably would have had to go to social services lo help me get to Van- couver.’” But the new scanning machine solved this problem for Bourelle and other northwest residents needing scans, Bourelle had the scan Novem- ber 8, 1993 at Mills Memorial, She then found out that the cause of her headaches was not serious. She is now being treated with Scan brings relief to local woman medication and her headaches are under control, ‘It brought me so much relief to find out it was not something major,’” Boureile. ‘I didn’t have to wait and wonder what was wrong with me.”’ She said the machine looks more intimidating than it really is. ‘When I first saw it I didn’t know what I'd got myself into,” said Baurelle. “I have asthma and I get short of breath when I’m _ nervous, and I was really worried I'd get in there, have an asthma attack and no one would be able to hear me.” These fears were soon put to rest by the technicians operating the scanner. “They explain everything to you — they were so good about everything,”’ she said. ‘They can speak to you all the time and you can talk to them the whole way through.”’ Bourelle said the local scanner provides more efficient and safe treatment to northwest residents. “It saves so much hassle and a lot of money and time,’’ she said, “Now doctors can spend their time treating you right away in- stead of waiting. for resulis to come back from Vancouver,’” ject: past foundation chairs Bill McRae, David Lane and present chair Alex Houlden, Missing is another former foundation chair, Marlaine Webber. ‘MILLS. MEMORIAL Hospital _ is. _ celebrating the one-year anniversary. ° ~ of its‘CT scanner with a Communit Caring Day. The public is invited to visit the hos- pital Saturday, Dec. 3 between 10:00 a.m, and 4;00 p.m. to see the CT scan-_ ner along with community health dis- plays, the plans for the mew ultrasound unit and the new Sleeping Beauty medical hostel. 2 = 10:00 a.m, Open house begins at 2!) #21 fyi MUllls Memorial ates yg ad te ' 10:30 a.m, Unveiling of plaque by _: Bill McRae , w 10:45 a.m. Cheque presentation from Terrace Rotary : wi 11:00 a.m. Kermodei Choristers > gg 11:30 a.m. Kermodel Choristers. | second set 1:30 p.m. Northwest Singers, Donations will be accepted for the Spotless Cleaners-Salvation Army . Coats for Kids and Adults campaign, | “the Salvation Army Christmas Food’ Hamper program and the Terrace. ‘Food Bank, oundation continues to make it possible THIS ULTRASOUND machine Is on a test run in Terrace, as Mills Memorial decided what kind of ultrasound will replace the old machine. Taking it for a test spin is Millis Memorial sonog- rapher (ultrasound technician) Nadine Terziani, eae