Tuesday was a big day at the North Bay Regional Health Centre.

They unveiled the latest CT Scan machine patients will be using and announced a $6-million fundraising effort called Cancer Care Close to Home.

The widow of Terry McKerrow, Nora announced a $1,000,000 pledge.

She says it’s great that the CT Scans they’ve raised money for are making a difference in the community.

Plans also call for a 2nd CT Scanner, which will help with wait times.

She says they’ve been raising money for 25 years, beginning with the original CT Scanner in 1995.

Radiologist Jeffrey Hodge says when it comes to wait times, the provincial average is over 50 days and the local number is in the 60’s.

The province wants to get below 30 days and having another scanner at the hospital will make a difference.

He says if you have cancer you need to wait less than 30 days to get checked out because that’s the time the cancer can spread, which is the key to fighting the disease.

Hodge says the previous machine has finished its usable life and they now have a better machine, with a couple of advantages for technicians: reduced dose for the patient and improved imagery.

The campaign will focus on raising funds for all kinds of medical equipment involved in treating cancer patients so their care can take place at the hospital.

That includes cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment and follow up.

 

Barbara Minogue & Ted Thomson