When a serious medical issue presents itself, it is reassuring to know that medical care is available within your own community. Often, until you or a loved one needs it, you may not realize exactly what healthcare is available to you, locally.
Collingwood General and Marine Hospital (CGMH) is now faced with the issue of continuing to meet healthcare demands while having nuclear medical equipment that is showing signs of wear and with replacement parts no longer available. A Tree of Life Campaign is being launched to raise the $850,000
required to bring this technology to CGMH.
Every year, CGMH sees over 60,000 patients in their Diagnostic Imaging Department. These patients come through the doors with a variety of health concerns requiring bone scans, heart imaging or diagnosis of ailments involving the liver, thyroid, gallbladder or stomach.
And cancer.
“The Nuclear Medicine Camera is one of the central pieces of equipment that helps us to diagnose a variety of health conditions,” said Dr. Murray Miller, Chief of Radiology, CGMH. “It is important for our community to know that CGMH has a prominent role in cancer care.”
The Nuclear Medicine Camera performs whole body scans as a workup tool in cancer staging, sentinel node imaging and follow up.
“When I talk to people in the community about the role CGMH plays in cancer care, I often see surprised faces,” said Dr. Miller. “Most people assume that we don’t treat cancer patients but we do have a big role in cancer care in diagnosing, operating and assisting them during and after their treatment has completed.”
A new Nuclear Medicine Camera will enable CGMH to continue to support cancer care close to home and this will only be made possible with the community’s support. It will also allow CGMH to continue to serve the thousands of patients who rely on it for diagnosis and treatment.
“Every day I walk through the doors of CGMH, I feel very fortunate to be a part of such an incredible and committed team who work tirelessly to provide excellent care to our patients,” said Dr. Miller. “It is my privilege to help our patients, some of which are going through the most difficult time in their lives.”
Dr. Miller said he is equally impressed with the on-going generosity of the community in ensuring that CGMH is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and technology.
Your donation to the Tree of Life Campaign will give the hospital the ability to see more patients, increasing access to care. No donation is too small – every gift adds up. To learn more or to make your gift to this campaign please visit the CGMH website. If you prefer to speak to a live person about how your donation can help, contact the CGMH Foundation office at 705-444-8645.