CAMPBELL RIVER, B.C. – Patients from the North Island won’t have to travel long distances to get their blood work results.
The Campbell River Hospital Foundation has raised over $21, 000 to help buy a new hematology slide review system, which will be based in the Campbell River hospital.
The machine will enable pathologists to review patients’ microscopic details and give diagnoses in real time without the patients having to travel to the hospital.
This means that patients from northern communities don’t have to travel all over the island to get diagnoses and results.
Keltie McKale, events and communications director at the Campbell River Hospital Foundation, said they were able to raise the money through the foundation’s annual trivia night. The foundation works with the BC Ambulance Service to put on the fundraiser.
McKale said nearly 600 people came to this year’s event. She said the machine won’t be in place just yet, as they are still raising funds for it, but the trivia night event helped immensely.
“(The hematology slide review system) performs automated digital analysis of anything microscopic for remote areas. It reduces turnaround times and gives more efficient diagnoses for the treatment of patients with urgent critical hematological issues,” McKale said.
“It’s also available for smaller, mid-sized laboratories – essentially the northern island labs to save some time so you don’t have to have a pathologist go up. They can trace your digital imaging, and it also improves the standardization of quality of results.”
“The machine will be located in Campbell River, but it helps the north island as well because this way… we can remotely speak to them about it instead of having some people travel down here just for one appointment or blood test,” she added.
“We can, in real time, let them know what’s happening and their diagnosis. So it’s easier for people to be diagnosed and have the proper treatment, especially with urgent critical issues.”
