Construction starts on new CT scanner suite in Kincardine

Dr. Jason Murray can hardly contain his excitement at the prospect of a CT scanner coming to the hospital in Kincardine, Ont.

“It’s so exciting for us, as a physician group, for the nurses, who will no longer have to go to Walkerton in snow storms, in the back of an ambulance or voyageur wagon,” says Murray.

With Monday'’s announcement of $2.79 million from the provincial government towards Kincardine’s CT project, work will begin within days to bring a vital diagnostic imaging tool to Kincardine and its growing community, instead of having to drive to the nearest CT scanner, located in Walkerton, Ont.

“There’s approximately 2,500 visits to the CT scanner in Walkerton, so you can appreciate what that means to the community, that now that CT will be here,” says Kincardine and Area Health Care Foundation Chair, Jack Nancekevill.

It hasn’t been easy. There have been numerous delays and there was community concern last year about the type of CT the South Bruce Grey Health Centre board chose.

But, there appears to be just excitement now that it is finally on its way.

It’s a bit of good news for the South Bruce Grey Health Centre, which had to close two of its emergency rooms in Chesley, Ont. and Walkerton in the overnight hours due to a lack of nurses.

“We feel quite confident we have the staff available to meet the staffing requirements for the CT, and we’re still working tremendously hard on getting our nursing staff stabilized so we can begin to reopen services at all our sites,” says South Bruce Grey Health Centre CEO, Michael Barrett.

The $4.8-million project that is bringing a CT scanner to Kincardine is part of larger $65-million plan to redevelop the entire Kincardine hospital.

It’s expected Kincardine’s CT scanner will be operational by the end of 2022.