May 4, 2009

Renfrew Victoria Hospital is ready to build space for CT

Renfrew Victoria Hospital has received the final necessary approval to begin building an addition to house CT (computer axial tomography).

“This takes us one step closer to putting the shovel in the ground, and ultimately providing this critical diagnostic service for our community,” RVH CEO Randy Penney says of the authorization letter received on April 20 from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

“The Ministry has moved very quickly on granting us the necessary approvals, and we are extremely grateful for the support of Ministry officials and the Champlain Local Health Integration Network,” Penney states. “They immediately recognized the importance of this initiative for the patients we serve and the quality of care we provide for them.”

RVH Vice-President of Corporate Services Julia Boudreau will now lead the hospital’s business partnerships to realize the CT dream. She will work with Massicotte Construction of Ottawa, the successful bidder for the project, and GE Canada, the supplier of the CT equipment.

“GE will now take an active role in partnering with us,” says Boudreau, explaining that they will assist in the development of policies, procedures, training and all of the necessary planning.

Construction of the one-storey, 1,800-square-foot addition to the RVH diagnostic imaging department is expected to begin this month (May) and the CT unit should be up and running this fall.

The 64-slice scanner will offer the most sophisticated CT technology in Renfrew County, providing the highest standard of imaging employed for general medical applications.

All of the approximately $3 million in construction and equipment costs will be borne by the hospital itself. Provincial funding is not available for CT capital or operating expenses.

A dedicated CT fund has been established by the RVH Foundation. Anyone interested in contributing to the fund is invited to contact the foundation office at 613-432-4851 ext. 263.

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(For more information contact Randy Penney, CEO, Renfrew Victoria Hospital, 613-432-4851, ext. 260.)