While there’s some argument over who ordered it first, Collingwood General and Marine Hospital (CGMH) is now the second hospital in Canada to purchase and operate the latest in CT scanner technology. 

Hospital president and CEO Mike Lacroix noted the room still has that “new CT scanner smell” as he and other officials cut the ribbon to officially open the new scanner on Dec. 17. 

It’s been 12 years since the hospital replaced the machine, and the new one was covered by a $2.1 million CGMH Foundation fundraising campaign that took place in 2022. 

Two of the major donors, Susan Little and Mike Jackson, were on hand for the official ribbon cutting. 

Though the University Health Network in Toronto beat CGMH to “first in Canada” with the new machine, the local hospital was at least among the first Canadian institutions to order the equipment. 

It was held up on the west coast during a strike, but arrived in Collingwood a couple of weeks ago. 

The new scanner is faster, clearer, lower radiation and more friendly for the patients, techs and the environment. 

Jamey Gilroy, the manager of diagnostic imaging and echocardiography for CGMH, said the new machine will last between eight and ten years, which will be about the time the new hospital is supposed to open. 

The current proposal for a new Collingwood hospital suggests two CT scanners – doubling the current capacity. 

A Computed Tomography (CT) scanner takes 2D images of a patient that look like “slices” of the area that is being photographed. The new machine will allow the techs to take “thinner cuts” of areas. 

“We can kind of slice you up like a loaf of bread in any different direction and then manipulate those images to see what we want to see for that patient’s care,” explained Gilroy. 

The new machine also has some artificial intelligence that helps position the patient accurately within the machine depending on where the images will be taken. 

The faster images, extra algorithms and preciseness of the machine all help health care teams provide better care for patients. 

“The more information we can give the radiologist to interpret … the better the diagnosis they can get,” explained Gilroy. 

Michael Carstensen, a radiologist at CGMH, called the CT scanner the “workhorse of medical imaging.” 

“Pretty much every patient that needs virtual imaging gets a CT because it’s fast, it’s available, and it can be done for patients regardless of their condition,” said Carstensen. “This one is running literally 24/7.”

He said the images from the new machine are “a step above” in quality compared to the old machine, and there is more flexibility for the techs to take different angles and focus on specific areas depending on what information is needed to care for the patient. 

The CT scanner at CGMH is used 24/7 for emergencies and is booked for about 10 hours a day for outpatient scans. The waiting list for those scans is based on a triage system and can be between two and 28 days based on provincial standards. 

However, while the new CT suite got a new floor, cabinets, ceiling and patient lift and the new scanner, CGMH staff were performing CT scans in a trailer for about eight weeks, which has set them back on their waitlist times. 

Gilroy said staff will be working through the backlog over the next few weeks. 

The new CT scanner is the second major imaging upgrade at CGMH this year, following the successful installation of a new X-Ray and fluoroscopy machine in September. 

Work is still underway on an MRI suite, the operational funding for which was announced by the province at the end of 2022.  A 2023 hospital foundation campaign raised $5 million to purchase the MRI machine and pay for the renovations in the hospital to build a suite for the machine. 

The MRI suite is expected to open in the fall of 2025. 

The current fundraising campaign underway by the hospital foundation is for two mammography machines to replace the one machine currently in use at the CGMH. You can find out more about that campaign here.

The following information was provided by CGMH about the new CT scanner.

Key features of the new CT scanner include: 

Increased Patient Comfort: 

• The new scanner boasts an innovative design, featuring a larger 80 cm patient area, built-in positioning cameras, smart touch-screen controls, and a Tech Assist lateral slide to ensure quick and comfortable patient setup. 

The scanner enables rapid, safe, and efficient imaging for exams of all complexities, addressing the  demands of our busy hospital environment. 

User-Friendly Design: 

• With intuitive, automated workflows and advanced hardware, the CT scanner provides an improved  user experience for our medical radiation technologists (MRTs) and radiologists, facilitating easier  operation and faster readings. 

Enhanced Clinical Efficiency: 

• Fully equipped for high-throughput environments, including trauma and oncology settings, regardless of patient or condition. 

• Provides sharp, clear images for all body regions, optimized for high-quality lung cancer screening.