Kootenay Lake Hospital begins $4.25-million CT scanner upgrade

A temporary mobile scanner will provide CT services while renovations are underway at the Nelson hospital.

A temporary mobile CT unit is parked outside Kootenay Lake Hospital in Nelson, where it will provide medical imaging services during renovations for the hospital’s new CT scanner. — Interior Health photo.

NELSON — Construction is underway at Kootenay Lake Hospital to prepare its medical imaging department for a new CT scanner expected to begin operating in December.

A temporary mobile CT unit has been installed in front of the hospital so patients can continue receiving scans during the renovations. The unit arrived June 27, and appointments are expected to begin moving into the temporary facility in August.

Patients with medical imaging appointments must continue to check in at the medical imaging reception desk inside the hospital before going to the mobile unit. The temporary scanner is accessible by wheelchair and stretcher.

Several changes have also been made outside the hospital during construction. Additional accessible parking spaces have been added to the parking lot, and the BC Transit stop has been moved to the right of the main entrance.

The replacement scanner and renovations are part of a $4.25-million project. The provincial government is contributing more than $2.5 million, while the West Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital District is providing $1.7 million.

Once installed, the new scanner is expected to increase the hospital’s CT capacity by more than 25 per cent. Approximately 9,000 scans are expected to be performed each year.

Interior Health president and CEO Sylvia Weir said the new equipment will provide more advanced imaging and reduce the amount of time required for some examinations.

“The new CT scanner offers advanced imaging capabilities and shorter exam times, meaning we can do more exams, and more complex exams, in the same amount of time,” Weir said.

She said the increased capacity should help reduce wait times and, in many cases, eliminate the need to transfer patients to other communities for imaging.

Renovations to the medical imaging department will include new flooring, ceilings, millwork, doors and a partition. The work is expected to be completed before the scanner is installed in December.

Suzan Hewat, chair of the West Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital District, said the district’s contribution will help strengthen access to health care in rural communities.

“By investing in modern diagnostic equipment and the spaces needed to house them, we’re helping ensure that people can continue to receive the care they rely on close to home,” Hewat said.

CT scanners use X-rays and computer technology to create detailed images of organs, bones, blood vessels and other internal structures. The scans are commonly used to diagnose injuries and illnesses and to help physicians plan treatment.

Health Minister Josie Osborne said the project is intended to improve access to diagnostic services for residents of Nelson and surrounding communities.

“By investing in a new CT scanner at Kootenay Lake Hospital, we’re strengthening diagnostic imaging services so patients can get the answers and care they need, when they need it,” Osborne said.

More information about Kootenay Lake Hospital and its medical imaging services is available through Interior Health.