In December 2021, the Foundation team spoke with Ashley Cruz Ventura about the importance of Diagnostic Imaging (DI) and why a second CT scanner is so important for the health of our communities.
What role do you play at the Brant Community Healthcare System and why are you proud to be part of the BCHS Family?
I have been with the Brant Community Healthcare system for 13 years. as a Medical Radiation Technologist. I was fortunate to have a placement at the Brantford General as a student of Mohawk/McMaster, and once I completed my degree, I knew that I wanted to start my career with the Brantford General Hospital. My experiences as a student were above and beyond my expectations. Every member of the BGH team which I encountered, displayed amazing compassion for their patients, and truly valued the importance of a team. I was welcomed as a new member of the healthcare team, and quickly established my roots at the Brantford General Hospital. My career has since led me to many amazing opportunities for growth. I have been given numerous opportunities to take part in committees within the organization, allowing me to share my voice and perspectives on the Medical Radiation Technologists role within the hospital. Because of my positive personal experiences, I strive to create those same positive experiences in students and new members of the organization. I was given an excellent opportunity to learn and grow, which I am so thankful for. This is why I am very proud to be a part of the BCHS family, and hope to generate these same feelings for all new and existing members of the BCHS family.
How is your department providing excellent care?
Our department provides critical services to all members of the community. On a daily basis we serve a wide variety of patients, including inpatients, emergency patients, outpatients, surgical patients, stroke patients, cancer patients, cardiac patients, just to name a few. The diagnostic imaging services are essential in providing these patients with a proper diagnosis. We are the ‘eyes’ of medicine. Each and every one of our modalities provide physicians with a look into their patients bodies, to get a real picture at what may be going on inside their patient. We are able to use highly specialized equipment and technology to provide extremely detailed images, or studies, for our patients. The physicians are then able to better direct their course of treatment or care path, specific to each individual patient. Our team takes great pride in our work, and hold ourselves to the highest standards of our professions. We are always adapting to new technologies and advancements within our fields. This results in the best all-around care for our patients.
What are the benefits of having your service in the community?
With our imaging services offered in our community, patients are not required to have to travel out of town for their imaging procedures. This alleviates a lot of stress and anxiety for our patients. Generally, we are imaging patients because there is something that their doctor is wanting to investigate, or to find out more information. This often creates feelings of fear and anxiousness for our patients. When we can offer these services in their own community, I believe it gives them a sense of comfort. They are familiar with the environment and are not overwhelmed trying to find their way around a large hospital. Even the fact of driving down a major highway to get to their tests can be taxing for patients and their families. The BCHS is able to offer a very wide variety of imaging procedures, and we hope to be able to continue to offer more in the future, as our department grows.
How have donor dollars impacted your area?
Donor dollars have impacted every modality of our department. They provide us with funds to purchase new equipment and technology. Medical imaging is a constantly changing environment. Technologies are always advancing, which is very expensive to maintain. In order to keep providing our patients with the highest quality imaging, our equipment and software continually need to be updated. Donor dollars help make these very large purchases happen. A single machine can cost close to 2 million dollars. Donor dollars have helped make the purchases of a CT scanner, MRI magnet, Nuclear medicine cameras, Mammography, Ultrasound and X-ray equipment occur in the past. Without them, we cannot provide the proper care to our patients. The community then has to rely on services out of town for their imaging. Donor dollars help provide the best medical imaging for our community, and in turn, keeping our patients close to home. Currently, the Brantford Community Healthcare System Foundation is reaching out to members of our community to help purchase a new CT scanner for our department. In the past year alone, over 35,000 exams have been done on our scanner. Our current scanner is the most utilized machine within our neighboring communities, by a lot. With the increasing large demands year over year, we cannot keep up. We need to be able to provide our community with the care they require, but to do so, new equipment is necessary.
How does your department provide impactful patient-centered care:
Every day, on average 450 patients come through the doors of the diagnostic imaging department. In each of our areas, patients express their gratitude for all of our efforts and services to make them feel comfortable and confident in the care they are receiving
Tell us something you don’t think the community knows about Diagnostic Imaging at BCHS:
The diagnostic imaging department images patients in just about every area of the hospital. We use many different forms of energy to image the body, including various levels of radiation, sound waves, magnetic fields, electrical impulses and radiopharmaceuticals. In one year, we complete an average of 150,000 exams. We have the ability to image our patients with mobile equipment, for some procedures. Often our services are required to help in the operating room and are used for lots of surgical planning. We are a major part in the care path for our COVID-19 patients. We help diagnose COVID-19, provide updates while they are receiving care at the BGH, especially patients that are in the ICU, and their recovery from COVID-19.
We are the District Stroke Centre, which means that every potential stroke patient that comes to the BGH is imaged within minutes of their arrival, essentially giving them the best chance at treatment and survival from a stroke. Our imaging team plays a critical role at the diagnosis of all cancers, as well as providing imaging during their journey.
Multiple special procedures are also done within our department, involving various types of biopsy’s, drainages and injections into the body.
