The giant lifesaver now has a home.
Jerome Quenneville, president and Chief Executive Officer of the Wellington Health Care Alliance noted the main event was being held outside the hospital. The party was in a tent as a result of new hospital patient hours and visitor limits.
To enhance infection control measures the new visiting hours were in effect as of Nov. 6 at all Wellington Health Care Alliance Hospitals: Visiting hours are daily from 2pm to 4pm, with one visitor per patient, or visitor per labouring mom, and one visitor per emergency room patient.
Exceptions will be made for palliative care patients. Phone lines will be opened to patients to make free local calls.
The hospitals include:
– Groves in Fergus; Louise Marshall Hospital in Mount Forest; and Palmerston and District Hospital.
Quenneville is asking families to limit visits to one person between 2pm to 4pm Being consistent with that policy, the scanner grant opening was outside.
“It’s been a long road since we put together that proposal in 2007.”
He thanked all who helped make this happen.
“It takes real leadership at a political level, sound health planning, and a devoted team of volunteers and donors to be able to make this a real success,” Quenneville said.
The ribbon cutting was in the CT suite. He said Perth-Wellington MPP and Minister of Revenue John Wilkinson, is no stranger to the hospital or the community.
“He was on hand to make the announcement for the CT not too long ago. Fortunately our community has taken up the challenge and moved along with it.”
Wilkinson is also known for his job shadowing of nurses at Groves and in Palmerston.
“So he knows a little bit more than most in regards as to what goes on in the health care system,” Quenneville said.
Wilkinson quipped, “Blessed are the brief, for they shall be invited back. I must have been brief last time I was here.”
He said Health Minister Deb Matthews has a lot on her plate right now “as our country is working on the largest mass vaccination in the history of our country.”
Wilkinson added it was great to be in Wellington Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott’s hometown.
“Ted has been a wonderful advocate for Groves Memorial.
He added, “There are a number of wonderful people who work right here. Doctors and nurses, and all the support staff. What do they want to do … to heal us. To heal us, they have to be able to diagnose us. To diagnose us, they need the latest equipment so they can do it right, and they can do it quick.”
He said, “The CT Scanner represents the ability to get to the diagnosis sooner, so we can start the treatment sooner, so that people can heal sooner.”
Quenneville said Arnott is a strong supporter of Groves and health care.
Arnott said health care is getting better all the time in Centre Wellington.
“I go to Toronto and I do my thing, as I’ve done through the years, sometimes in opposition and sometimes in government. But it is you who do the heavy lifting when it comes to health care.”
He said it is through local efforts that hundreds of thousands of dollars are raised each year, “a monumental sum of money, to help pay for the needed upgrades here that the health ministry is unable to fund.”
He said it was appropriate the CT Scanner suite was named to honour that devotion.
He quoted Dr. Harold Johns, who, in describing the importance of medical imaging, said “If you can’t see it, you can’t hit it … and if you can’t hit it, you can’t cure it.”
Arnott said, “This is why a computed tomography scanner is so vital, as the standard of care today and diagnosis of medical conditions. It brings better health care closer to home. Which leads us to the vision of a new Groves Hospital for the 21st century and the need for the support of the provincial government, whoever may be in power, to give us the go-ahead to proceed with detailed planning for the new hospital that our community deserves and that our community is going to need.”
He added, “I will never, ever, give up on getting this project moving forward.”
Kathy Durst, chairman of the Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network, said, “Today is a celebration of the power of partnerships, which is a cornerstone of the health care transformation happening in Waterloo Wellington.”
Gord Feniak, chairman of Groves hospital board, said when he came onto the board he knew a little bit about engineering and a little bit about municipal politics, “but I didn’t know very much about health care. I wasn’t here very long before I heard the buzz about a CT Scanner … and I’m going to admit that I really didn’t know what all that entailed.”
At the time, he said he did not know why it was important to the community.
“It was explained to me that we live in a world now where every little kid has an iPod or mp3 player. These kids listen to their music, and if you ever pick up their earphones, the music is so crisp and so clear. We have our own CDs in our houses and cars and we can hear every note ever recorded. That’s what CT imaging is like.”
Feniak said the technology we had at Groves at the time was like his first record player.
“At that point, I understood it. As important as music is, health care is a lot more important. In fact, the technology that we’re replacing is older than using my old record player as a comparison.”
He said Dr. Abraham Groves recorded his first use of X-rays in 1902.
In his book, All in a Day’s Work, published in 1934, Groves wrote, “It was in April 1871 that I got my licence to practice the science of medicine and surgery. When I compare this science as it was then, to what it is today, I cannot but conclude that in no line of human endeavor have there been advances made and achievements accomplished equal in value to the human race than those made in the medical profession.”
Feniak said, “We’re here to celebrate the continuum of these great advances.”
He noted it is often not the technology that is lacking, but the finances needed to acquire them. Once he learned of the need for a CT Scanner, his next questions were the costs and who would pay for it.
The answer, he said, is $3-million and the community would pay for it.
“This is when I learned what rural health care is all about. It’s about how a community pulls together, digs deep, and gives itself the health care to sustain itself.”
He said while the community celebrates the new technology, “We should also celebrate the old values which made it possible.”
Quenneville said that for every huge endeavour you need a champion. In this case, Groves had Team G, as it is affectionately known, Quenneville said.
Dr. Richard Gergovich and Heather Gergovich, advocates for the CT Plus Campaign, have not only been instrumental in the campaign, they’ve brought the message to the community to crystallize how much of a difference it would make.
Heather Gergovich coined a phrase used by Rick in 2004 “… this is huge.”
Her excitement was evident, as she said “It’s actually a reality today.”
Gergovich quipped that before Heather would marry him, he had to promise her a CT Scanner. He said a lot of hard work went into the approval in 2008.
He said that the community has reached half of its fundraising target is a reflection of it.
“As Heather said, this is huge, and it is here. For patients in the community, it’s going to mean faster access to CT scanning. Access now is not bad. It’s better than it used to be.”
But those in the emergency department and those critically ill and unstable, had to be transferred to another facility to get a CT scan and then return to Groves.
Effective Nov. 9, that would end with the scanner ready.
He said that he had actually worked in the emergency department that morning, which provided a timely reminder.
On the morning of Nov. 6, “I actually sent three patients down to Guelph General Hospital for CT scans.”
He said in some ways, the delay getting the scanner is not a bad thing, since it allowed Groves to have a state of the art product. “It’s one of the best scanners in the province; that’s how good it is,” he said.
He was glad to see John Wilkinson at the opening as Minister of Revenue. “What we need is a new house for our CT Scanner [referring to efforts for a new hospital.]”
Quenneville said that Jackie Ranahan, chairman of the Groves Hospital Foundation, had the honour of thanking the volunteers and the donors.
Over the past 14 months, more than $1.7-million of the $3-million goal was raised.
“Although a tremendous feat, I admit we’re not finished yet.”
She is confident the community will be able to raised the remaining $1.3 million.
Ranahan thanked everyone who helped.
“Each one of you is making a difference in health care for your family and friends.”
There was a special presentation to the Groves Hospital Volunteer Association – a plaque naming the CT Suite after the group.
Carol Kirby, director of fundraising for that association, said the group’s 250 plus volunteers provide a strong presence within Groves Hospital.
“Fundraising gives us an opportunity to purchase of invaluable pieces of diagnostic equipment.”
In 2008, the group became the main donor in the campaign with a pledge of $500,000 in a three-year period. Since then, it has donated $435,000.
Kirby added completion of the pledge will be in May, a year ahead of schedule.
