By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
DUNNVILLE—While Haldimand War Memorial Hospital (HWMH) is small in size compared to other urban hospitals, it boasts a bevy of state-of-the-art equipment, much of which is funded through the efforts of DHHF.
Dr. Tom Dorland, Head of Diagnostic Imaging at HWMH, touched on just some of the services offered by his department, including X-ray, ultrasound, mammography, electrocardiograms, and holter monitors, in addition to being the only provider of Computerized Tomography (CT scans) in Haldimand County.
“I strive to ensure our teams provide reliable, accurate, and timely services for our community and to facilitate our campus’ ability to meet and exceed the Accreditation Canada quality requirements,” said Dorland.
He is thrilled with the new equipment that has been purchased using the $1.4 million in funding that DHHF recently raised: “Just like our home computers, our diagnostic equipment ages over time and is phased out with newer versions as designs and technology improves. Being able to replace our aging equipment allows our team to provide accurate and precise services, while improving the reliability of our instruments,” said Dorland.
Dr. Gregory Mitton, Chief of Radiology at HWMH, has worked at the hospital since 2006: “It’s a wonderful hospital to work at. It’s small in size and very intimate. I have a very close relationship with all the medical staff…. It has grown quite remarkably.”
Mitton described the technology in the $300,000 X-ray room to be installed this spring as “eons” beyond what existed as recently as 15 years ago: “In the old days, X-rays were a beam of photons that went through the patient…. Now, we have digital detectors that replace the X-ray film. It allows for manipulation of images after we get the information.”
A new mammography machine will replace one that’s reached its end-of-life phase, while a new bone density scanner will “measure the brittleness of bones, which get weaker over time.”
Mitton said an ultrasound machine purchased in 2020, along with one purchased four years earlier, have become the workhorses of his department: “It’s fast, portable, and it doesn’t use X-ray beams; it uses sound waves … (so) you don’t have to use ionized radiation.”
With the funding to buy this new equipment complete, Mitton touched on some of the impending needs of the hospital, including a new CT scanner valued at $1.5 million.
“While it was a luxury 30-40 years ago, any hospital today needs to have a CT scanner,” said Mitton. “CT scanners have become mainstream now. The Emergency Department in Dunnville is very busy and would not be able to function well without a CT scanner.”
He said that while imaging machines have a high upfront cost, they can be the difference between life and death when it comes to quickly diagnosing a patient, for more timely and efficient treatment.
Looking even further ahead, Mitton said medical staff have presented the Hospital Board with a request for an MRI unit at HWMH: “It’s no longer a luxury; it’s a basic part of medical imaging. These machines are not cheap, but the Board now knows we would like to start thinking about raising money from the community for an MRI scanner. We’re in the preliminary stages of investigating that and trying to plan for the future.”
“Imaging plays a very integral role in the care of and diagnosing of patients,” summed up Mitton. “We’re able to pinpoint problems at a much earlier phase and act upon it, but unfortunately that comes at a price and that’s where we need to raise money as a community.”
