WITH ALL THE BAD NEWS we're getting these days, it was heartening to see the press release from Headwaters Health Care Centre announcing the acquisition of state-of-theart equipment for its Imaging department.

The hospital has added a 64-slice computed tomography scanner in the Diagnostic Imaging department replacing a four-slice CT scanner.

Scott Edmonstone, the hospital's manager of diagnostic imaging, says the number refers to its speed, "like the shutter speed of a camera. In just seconds it produces clear, precise diagnostic pictures in 3D."

He says the CT scan is non-invasive, painless and can double as a screening tool that in about 10 seconds gives the technician a bird's-eye view of what's happening inside your body. The new scanner provides improved resolution of images for patients with complex medical issues including cardiac, neurological, abdominal, pelvic and orthopedic conditions. It can capture the image of a beating heart in five seconds, an organ in one second and the whole body in 10 seconds. This latest in imaging capability lets physicians obtain the critical information they need to make a diagnosis quickly, with less anxiety and stress for patients.

It's so fast that there's no need for medication and so sensitive that it gives less radiation and will allow some patients to avoid invasive testing.

The press release made no mention of the scanner's cost, but we suspect it was substantial.

Unfortunately, all such equipment cannot be obtained except through donations to the hospital, as was the case several years ago with the multi-million-dollar CT scanner itself.

Clearly, in the midst of an ever-deepening recession, donations are more crucial than ever. To make one to the hospital, you need only contact the Headwaters Health Care Foundation at 519-941-2702, ext. 2303, or you can make a gift online at www.headwatershealth.ca.