Mandy was in severe pain when she reached the Emergency Department with her mom. She had a severe stomach ache. After appropriate questions and an initial examination, the Emergency doctor was sure that Mandy had appendicitis. Because the appendix can rupture with serious consequences, it was urgent for Mandy to have an accurate diagnosis and be treated in the shortest amount of time. The surgeon agreed that it was most likely appendicitis, but did not want to operate without confirmation; several conditions can mimic appendicitis and he needed to be sure. He did not want to perform unnecessary surgery on an otherwise healthy young girl. The doctors knew an urgent CT scan needed to be done, but Groves does not have an on-site CT scanner; several things had to be put in place before the scan could be performed. Approval for a patient transfer had to be given from another hospital and facilities are often hesitant to assume care for another patient, even for the few hours they would be under their care. A time slot had to be reserved in the other hospital’s radiology department. Without a CT scanner, a hospital does not usually have an on-site radiologist so they had to wait for the radiologist to review the scan and send a report back. An ambulance had to be booked for the trip there and back to Groves. All of these steps can take hours, and when a patient urgently needs a diagnosis precious time is often lost. Mandy was fortunate and is in good health now. She is back to playing soccer with her team and doing all the things she loves to do. But the need is still great. A CT scanner at Groves has the very real potential to save lives in our community. A CT scanner means the whole healthcare team can be involved on-site to communicate treatment options and make lifesaving decisions quickly and effectively. That’s why we need your support. Donor gifts make a tangible difference to the care that Groves will be able to provide to their patients through the purchase of a CT scanner. We can’t do it without you and we hope that you will partner with us in this lifesaving opportunity. |
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