ST. PAUL – The St. Paul and District Hospital Foundation has set its sights high and is aiming to raise $1 million for its CT Scanner Initiative.
“A CT Scanner can help patients have faster access to needed tests. This means healthcare professionals can have even more confidence in diagnosing patients and ensuring the best care possible is delivered to patients,” reads a Feb. 14 letter to the Town of St. Paul and the County of St. Paul from Ron Wirsta, chairperson of the hospital foundation.
Having a CT scanner in St. Paul would reduce the need for patients “to travel to other communities to access this service, potentially reducing the time between diagnosis and treatment,” further reads the letter.
According to information from Alberta Health Services (AHS), a computer tomography (CT) scanner helps provide more accurate diagnosis of medical conditions like internal bleeding, lung disorders, or cancer, through radiation and computer-enhanced imaging.
The hospital foundation is a non-profit group that has been raising money to purchase different types of equipment for the St. Therese-St. Paul Healthcare Centre. A CT scanner has been on the group’s radar for many years, Wirsta told Lakeland This Week.
“We, as a foundation, felt that it was a huge need for our community,” he said.
To help raise money, the foundation is hosting a gala.
This year, the gala will be held on April 5 at the St. Paul Recreation Centre. Individual tickets cost $100 or $800 for a table of eight.
Tickets are being sold at Caouette & Sons Implements and at the St. Paul Municipal Seed Cleaning Association, or they can also be purchased by calling Wirsta at 780-645-0215.
People wanting to be involved with fundraising activities can also reach out to Wirsta. He acknowledges the initiative will take some time to achieve - perhaps even a couple of years - so there will be other fundraisers in the future to help raise more funds.
“We would like the whole community to be involved in this,” he said. “This is going to benefit the whole community, not just the Town of St. Paul,” he added.
During the Town of St. Paul’s council meeting on Feb. 24, the Town of St. Paul made a motion to purchase a table for $800.
The County of St. Paul will also purchase a table, plus provide a $10,000 sponsorship, which will come from the County’s reserves.
“In general, I think that’s why we have that money,” said County of St. Paul Reeve Glen Ockerman.
Coun. Kevin Wirsta said adding a CT scanner to the area could also entice doctors to come because they have better tools to work with.
“I see this being very valuable to the community.”
Also, “I would like to challenge the Town [of St. Paul] to step up their game,” added Kevin Wirsta, suggesting the Town also provide a sponsorship.
