Colonoscope
An important consideration in a community with an aging population, such as we have in the Comox Valley, is that specialized medical services must be available to accommodate that demographic group.
One health concern that is more prevalent with people over age 50 is colorectal cancer. And it is conventional wisdom that if everybody past that age were to have regular screening, then as many as 60 percent of colorectal cancer deaths could be prevented.
That is a significant figure which identified the need for The Foundation to purchase an additional colonoscope for the hospital. A new scope would ease the demand on the existing scope and would help reduce wait times for patients.
The statistics bear out the need for this equipment. The hospital had a waiting list of 857 patients prior to the purchase of a new colonoscope. As the hospital had the capacity, the additional scope improved the procedure turn around time and drastically reduced the wait time from 17 weeks to less than 12 weeks for elective cases while urgent and emergent cases get in right away.
In their quest to secure the colonoscope the Foundation is grateful for the support it received from Thrifty Foods, the Courtenay Rotary Club, the Coastal Credit Union as well as individuals within the community.
With your continued support the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation can keep serving the community with enhanced equipment, which can only serve our quest for the best in health care for all of us.
Holter Monitor
A day spent in the company of a Holter Monitor won’t be the most enchanting 24-hours you have ever spent, but it won’t hurt a bit and it could save your life.
If your physician mentions a Holter Monitor, you will be excused for having no idea what he or she is talking about. But, to clarify this, the monitor is a piece of equipment approximately the size of a cell phone, with cables that connect to the chest area, similar to an ECG. The device is designed to track the rhythms of the heart over a 24-hour period – much longer than the standard ECG is capable of doing. The monitors track the heart’s electrical system, checking for abnormalities and being able to detect life-threatening arrhythmias, those heartbeat irregularities that demonstrate signs of previous heart malfunctions.
With its extended duration function, the Holter Monitor can be the first step in diagnosing the need for a pacemaker or drug therapy to reduce the risk of such complications as strokes.
St. Joseph’s Hospital’s laboratory has had monitors in place for 20 years, and cardiology technologists have carried out scanning in-house for the last three-to-four years. This speeds up diagnosis time because the files no longer have to be sent elsewhere for reading.
Due to high demand, there is a wait list for monitor use that could be considerably foreshortened with the purchase of two further monitors. Currently there is a wait list of up to four weeks because of the increased need for testing. The addition of the two new monitors that were purchased last year has allowed the Laboratory to increase the capacity and keep up with the need. The addition of another two monitors would help to shorten wait times to a more acceptable level
Cardiology technologists see about 30 patients a week, and two more monitors will address the patient needs that accompany the growing influx of seniors into the community.
It is the generous support of the community that makes all of this possible. Donations made to the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation by service clubs and individuals help make the best possible healthcare available for the community.
