In December 2021 the Foundation team spoke with Dr. Angela Fleming about her role as Chief & Medical Director of Diagnostic Imaging (DI) at the BCHS and why a second Computed Tomography (CT) scanner is so important for the health of our communities.
How does the CT scanner make a difference in patient care at the BCHS?
The CT scanner is an important tool used to diagnose disease, monitor treatment response, and to guide surgical procedures. Roughly 50% of scans completed on the CT at BCHS are geared to the Emergency Department (ED) and patients in hospital. ED physicians rely on CT to assist them in diagnoses for their patients, deciding who is able to be discharged and who needs to be admitted, and determining which specialist the patient needs to see and how emergently.
Tell us something you don’t think the community knows about the CT scanner?
Our CT scanner is one of the busiest in the region, imaging more patients per hour than most other hospitals. Our DI department at the BCHS runs 24/7. At any given time, we will have anywhere from 2 to 20 technologists and up to 7 radiologists working. This is why a second CT is so important.
How will the purchase of a second CT scanner make a difference for our community?
Our current CT scanner is roughly 11 years old. A second CT scanner will allow us to image more patients in a more timely fashion. We will be able to do more biopsies and CT guided procedures. Treatment close to home is the goal of our region, and a second CT scanner would allow us to improve upon this and decrease wait times.
