Thank you, from PRHC’s President & CEO

PRHC President & CEO, Dr. Peter McLaughlin

“We are fortunate to have some of the most hardworking, caring and dedicated people on our team at PRHC, and a wonderful community supporting us here in the Peterborough region.

On behalf of your hospital, I would like to acknowledge and thank our patients and their families; our leaders, healthcare professionals, staff and volunteers; our partners in the community and region for your ongoing insights, collaboration and support; and the PRHC Foundation and through them, our generous donors.

I’m thankful for the role you play in keeping PRHC at the cutting-edge of patient care. Your generosity is putting the right tools in the hands of our healthcare teams, so they can save lives, and it’s helping us bring groundbreaking new services to our region.”

Learn more about “the best kept secret in medicine”

A doctor poses outside the hospital

Dr. Fady Abdelsayed is an Interventional Radiologist at PRHC. We asked him to tell us about interventional radiology, known as “the best kept secret in medicine,” and how an upgrade and expansion to PRHC’s IR facilities will improve care for thousands of patients in our region…

What is interventional radiology?

In interventional radiology we use real-time imaging – radiology – to find and correct, or intervene in, health conditions. We use CT scans, fluoroscopy or ultrasound to steer needles, guidewires and catheters into tiny incisions in the skin or through blood vessels to perform a procedure.

What kind of procedures use interventional radiology?

Interventional radiology is becoming integral to patient care. We use it during scheduled procedures and in emergencies. It’s helpful for a wide range of health conditions and patients. If a patient has an infection, we might use interventional radiology to drain it. With cancer, we might use it to do a biopsy. Bleeding – we might use interventional radiology to stop the hemorrhage. And if surgery is too high-risk for a patient, this kind of procedure could be a safer, faster option. Some days, no two procedures are the same or an everyday procedure needs a new ‘twist’ to get the best result for that patient.

How does interventional radiology support great patient care at PRHC?

It helps us innovate and push the boundaries of what we can do for patients. It often lets us quickly give a patient relief from discomfort or help get them a diagnosis. Because it’s minimally invasive, patients have less pain, shorter hospital stays, and face less risks than with surgery.

If PRHC has this service now, why should donors invest in it?

Right now, interventional radiology is used for almost 6,000 patients at PRHC every year, but the two interventional radiology suites were built 13 years ago. They’re too small to fit the number of medical personnel and state-of-the-art equipment we need to expand and offer this care to more patients. We can do this with renovated suites, a new step-down unit and cutting-edge equipment. We’ll also be able to introduce new methods to treat things like stroke and cancer. We all want to give our patients the best care possible, but the government funds only a portion of the hospital’s costs. So, we’re very grateful to our community for helping us by donating to the PRHC Foundation. Thank you, donors!

For more information or to support this exciting investment, please click here or call 705-876-5000.

Impact Spotlight: Orthopedic Surgical Camera

A surgeon holds a camera beside surgical imaging equipment

Last year when your hospital needed help to fund a new, top of the line camera to facilitate orthopedic surgeries, our community responded with enthusiasm. As a result, the PRHC Foundation was able to fund this state-of-the-art camera. It’s been on site and in use since early this year.

Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Crawford Dobson and his colleagues are grateful for your support. The high definition camera is helping them perform minimally invasive arthroscopic knee and shoulder repair for hundreds of patients a year, so they can quickly get back to living their lives with less pain and more mobility.

“Our new high definition camera allows us to see very subtle differences in tissues to diagnose and treat conditions that we might not otherwise have been able to treat or done so easily,” says Dr. Dobson. “Thank you for all your generous donations. Without you, we wouldn’t be able to function in the same capacity.”

Impact Spotlight: Wireless ECG Machines

Laboratory Medicine Technicians stand with ECGs machines

Thanks to donors, six new ECG machines with advanced, wireless technology have been added to PRHC’s fleet. This means that cardiologists can access an ECG from a secure server quickly and on the spot to diagnose heart conditions, especially in urgent situations such as a Code STEMI where diagnosis begins in the ambulance on the way to PRHC’s Cardiac Cath Lab.

PRHC Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Katy Shufelt explains how these new machines are impacting patient care at your hospital:

“Having wireless technology for our ECGs has really advanced care at PRHC. When patients have an ECG, it’s immediately uploaded to a secure server and cardiologists can log on and access that ECG immediately. In the past, that process would have been much slower. And that five or ten minutes more can be the difference for a patient’s life.”

PRHC’s Laboratory Medicine Technicians (pictured) and Dr. Shufelt want to say “thank you” for making such an impact on patient care at your hospital!

If you’d like to make an impact, please donate online, or for more information, please call 705-876-5000.

Photo by Mary Zita Payne.

PRHC is bringing cutting-edge new CT scanners to our region with your help

A Medical Radiation Technologist and volunteer demonstrate a CT scanner
A radiologist stands in front of a CT scanner

Dr. Mario Voros is a PRHC Radiologist who’s leading the charge to bring two new, state-of-the-art CT scanners to the hospital. We asked him to tell us about this cutting-edge equipment and how it will improve care for thousands of patients in our region…

What is CT scan technology?

A CT – or computed tomography – scan is a more powerful, dynamic, moving X-Ray. Unlike a traditional 2-dimensional X-Ray, CT scanners create hundreds of incredibly detailed cross-sectional images and 3-dimensional images of a patient’s anatomy. They’re unique because they can display a combination of soft tissue, bones and blood vessels in a single image.

Why are CT scans an important diagnostic tool?

Radiologists call CT the workhorse – or backbone – of the hospital. At PRHC, about 28,000 CT scans are performed each year because they’re crucial to rapidly confirming a diagnosis and beginning lifesaving treatment for many seriously sick or injured patients. We perform a CT scan for patients with head injuries to rule out a brain bleed. We use CT for rapid stroke assessment and to identify blockages or damage in arteries. We image for common issues like kidney stones and appendicitis. We use CT in cancer care. CT helps doctors diagnose fractures and issues related to trauma. A chest CT can even identify some consequences of COVID-19, like pneumonia.

Why does PRHC need new CT equipment?

PRHC’s current CT scanners are more than 12 years old and nearing the end of their lifespan. They must be replaced with new equipment. This is an opportunity to make significant advancements in our critical CT services because the technology has come a long way in a decade. We need the most advanced imaging technology available, so that every doctor at PRHC can do our jobs to the best of our ability.

How will the new CT scanners benefit patients?

The new CT scanners will fit the needs of the hospital now and well into the future. They’re the best available scanners on the market. They’re faster, meaning shorter scan times. This is better for all patients, but especially those in pain or distress. They’ll provide much better-quality images, making it easier for my colleagues and me to see what’s happening inside a patient’s body. And there’s less radiation used during a scan, which means less risk to the patient.

How will donors help make this equipment advancement possible?

The government doesn’t fund most of the technology doctors, nurses and staff use to provide patient care every day. So, we rely on donors to help us invest in equipment that is vital to the world-class care we provide to patients from across our region. It’s donors who make that care possible by giving to the PRHC Foundation to help fund cutting-edge tools, like essential new CT scanners. And at PRHC, we’re all very grateful for that support.

For more information or to support this exciting investment, please click here or call 705-876-5000.