The construction work to accommodate a new CT scanner at the Barrie Memorial Hospital is now underway.
According to a press release issued by Santé Québec Montérégie-Ouest, the work was scheduled to start on September 3 with an anticipated completion date in December.
The regional health authority confirmed that patients should expect some additional travel or longer wait times during the renovations. Temporary measures have been put in place to ensure services remain available to patients.
The process to submit requests for scans will stay the same. However, patients will be directed to either the Hôpital du Suroît in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield or the Anna Laberge Hospital in Châteauguay, where their exam will be performed.
CT scanners play a vital role in the rapid and safe diagnosis of many medical conditions. More than 15,000 scans are performed each year using the current scanner, but the machine needs replacing to maintain access to diagnostic care and to support operations at the Ormstown-based hospital, including emergency services.
The scanner is expected to cost just over $1 million, while construction and space-adaptation work has been estimated at $900,000. Both the Barrie Memorial Hospital Foundation and the Women’s Auxiliary of the Barrie Memorial Hospital have pledged $500,000 in support of the project, for a total of $1 million dollars raised from fundraising campaigns and donations. (SR)