To The Haldimand Press
DUNNVILLE—Osteoporosis is a disease that slowly, quietly weakens bones, often going undiagnosed – even when it breaks them. It is a condition that causes bones to become thin and porous, decreasing bone strength and leading to increased risk of breaking. There is no single cause for osteoporosis that has been identified.
The Diagnostic Imaging department at Haldimand War Memorial Hospital (HWMH) has been planning for the replacement of their aging Bone Mineral Density equipment since 2019, in hopes that capital funding would be available.
“In May of 2021, the Bone Mineral Density equipment experienced a terminal failure that was not repairable. This left a gap in Haldimand County healthcare services as no other centres in our county provide these studies for our aging population,” says Tom Dorland, Director of Diagnostic Imaging at HWMH.
Osteoporosis is often called the ‘silent thief’ because bone loss occurs without symptoms. Over 2.3 million Canadians are living with osteoporosis. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Canadians needlessly fracture a bone each year because their osteoporosis goes undiagnosed and untreated.
The impact of these types of injuries on small community hospitals like HWMH can be profound. In 2021 the Diagnostic Imaging Department conducted 621 bone mineral tests.
“It was incredible for me to learn that fractures from osteoporosis are more common than heart attack, stroke, and breast cancer combined.” says Penny Banks, Executive Director, Dunnville Hospital & Healthcare Foundation (DHHF). “The overall annual cost to the healthcare system is estimated at over $4.6 billion which encompasses emergency room visits, admissions to acute and non-acute institutions, rehabilitation, and home-assisted or long-term residency support.”
As reported by the 2022 Osteoporosis Fact Sheet, it causes 70-90% of the 30,000 hip fractures annually. The average cost to the healthcare system in the first year following a hip fracture is $63,649. For those patients who cannot be discharged back home and who require admission to a long-term care facility, the average cost to the healthcare system in the first year following that broken hip is $125,085.
Bone Density Scanner
As a small rural hospital foundation, DHHF is committed to making a difference in our local community. We continue to be the number one provider of donated funds for HWMH so they can continue to be the primary hospital for residents of Dunnville and surrounding county. We want to ensure that HWMH is able to provide an exceptional continuum of care right here at home. Equipment like the Bone Mineral Density machine ensures that as our population ages, we continue that continuum of care our community members have come to rely on. Working with local businesses that have employees who work and live in our community is a cornerstone to our mission.
In 2021, The Clark Companies donated the funds to purchase the new bone density equipment for our hospital.
“Their generous support ensures we have the highest quality equipment and technology and also helps to address the ongoing need for these essential services for our community. Additionally, large gifts like this one cover the entire cost of a piece of equipment and it helps to ensure that alternate funding from our annual donors can then be directed to other urgent equipment needs for us to provide high quality patient care,” says Sharon Moore, WHGH President and CEO.
“Patient care, and ongoing operations within our entire hospital have a positive effect because of the generous support from donors. Our goal was to inspire The Clark Companies to help make sure HWMH is always in a position to ensure exceptional care close to home for the residents of Haldimand County,” says Banks.
She concluded, “This investment in bone health here in Haldimand County will have a lasting impact and we are truly grateful for their support.”
