Local community upset as hospital board pursues Edge Plus CT scanner for Kincardine hospital

Many residents of the Municipality of Kincardine voiced their opinion of the South Bruce Grey Health Centre board’s plan to bring an Edge Plus CT scanner to Kincardine hospital. And it was definitely not positive.

During a community information session Tuesday night (Jan. 26), held via Zoom and Facebook Live, more than 200 people tuned in as the hospital board valiantly justified its decision, despite major opposition from the Kincardine Physicians Group, Kincardine council, and the majority of those on-line.

The two-hour session was moderated by Michael Barrett, president and chief executive officer of the health centre, who provided a lengthy outline of the process for both the CT scanner and the redevelopment of the hospital, itself.

He was joined by board chairman John Gilbert, chief radiologist Dr. Douglas Mowbray, chief of staff Dr. Lisa Roth, Kincardine and Community Health Care Foundation president Becky Fair, directors Bill Heikkila and Doug Harris, and Audrey Conner of Siemens, manufacturer of the Edge Plus.

Barrett went through an exhaustive timeline and outline of the progress from August, 2018, to now, with plans to expand to the east of the current Kincardine hospital entrance, providing a building to house the new CT scanner. He also explained the redevelopment project, with Phase 1 being the expanded emergency department, diagnostic imaging, and registration, while Phase 2 will be the inpatient side, including the operating room and administration.

Returning to the discussion about the CT scanner, he said there were initially six models to choose from, but three were old technology, as was the old Edge machine, while the Force machine was high-end and more suited to a research setting. Therefore, the Drive CT was the best machine on the market.

However, in October, 2020, there was a significant change when the Edge Plus CT scanner came on the market, said Barrett, noting that there are no such machines in Canada, but they are operating in 53 hospitals in the United States. The Edge Plus is cheaper than the Drive model, and cheaper to maintain, with a difference of $1.26-million in the operating costs, alone, he said.

Barrett said the only difference between the two machines is that the Edge Plus has one tube and the Drive has two tubes. He noted that for the CT scanning currently done at the Kincardine hospital, the Edge Plus machine is a great deal, and for specialized services, there is still the Drive CT available at the Walkerton hospital.

Mowbray echoed those sentiments, offering extensive technical comments about the two machines. He said the Drive model, with its two tubes, is twice as expensive to maintain. “It does a better job with the dual energy. But both machines will do a good job at the Kincardine hospital.”

Barrett emphasized that of the 11 members on the hospital board, six are from the Kincardine area – four represent Kincardine and two represent Huron-Kinloss Township.

One of those Kincardine members, Doug Harris, said the board chose the cheaper CT scanner for the Kincardine hospital because there are a lot more capital projects in the future which will also require significant funding, including the hospital redevelopment.

He said Phase 1 of the redevelopment (to be completed by 2027) is estimated at $61-million, while Phase 2 (to be completed by 2032) is set at $113-million. The province is funding 85 per cent, leaving the community to come up with $28-million, he said.

“The Edge Plus is the newest technology available,” said Harris. “There is no clinical difference between it and the Drive CT. Once we have the Edge Plus in Kincardine and the Drive in Walkerton, we will have the best two scanners in southwestern Ontario.”

Heikkila said the Drive CT scanner is more expensive and the community does not need to spend that much money. “This is an emotional topic. This is a good news story for the community. We only want what’s best for Kincardine.”

QUESTION PERIOD

Barrett then opened the meeting to questions, and there were plenty, as people filled the chat box with hundreds of questions and comments.

In response to a question, Barrett said Kincardine is the fastest growing community in the area, and he realizes that services have been taken from this hospital, but people have to understand that the hospital board is is charge of all four hospitals, not just Kincardine.

Speaking as a Kincardine physician, Roth said she made her decision after a lot of thinking and going over all the information, and despite the opposition from her colleagues in the Kincardine Physicians Group, she believes the Edge Plus is the best model for the Kincardine hospital.

She said she asked a cardiologist if Kincardine needs a Drive CT machine to do cardiology, and he said no.

“The staff at the hospital is amazing, but the building is not amazing," she said. "We will soon have this renovation under way. If we spend money on something we don’t need, we won’t have money for the long haul. We can scan what we need with the Edge Plus.”

Kincardine mayor Anne Eadie, speaking on behalf of council and the residents of the municipality, told the hospital board that Kincardine’s emergency room is the second busiest in the Grey-Bruce region, next to Owen Sound. The Kincardine hospital is the closest one to the Bruce Power nuclear generating station. And 30 nuclear supply chain companies are now located in the municipality.

“We are a growing community and we have a growing tourist area," she said. We also have people coming to the hospital from Huron-Kinloss Township. We need the best equipment that’s available to meet our community’s needs.”

Dr. Gary Gurbin, a Kincardine physician, said Eadie spoke well, and emphasized that we must make the right decision not just for now but for the future of the hospital.

“Dr. Mowbray has said on a number of occasions, and has recommended to the board, to purchase the Drive CT,” said Gurbin. “This is a big bite, financially, but there are people offering to make up the difference to get the best machine.”

He said Kincardine physician Dr. Mike Ballantine is working on protocols for the brain and what happens during strokes, but that work cannot be accommodated with an Edge Plus CT scanner, only with the Drive model.

“A Drive CT scanner will serve the future needs of Kincardine health care,” said Gurbin, “and will lay a solid foundation for a great facility. Investing properly now will give us the best value for our money and will provide good care for our patients.”

Ballantine asked why, if there is so much support for a Drive CT, the board insists on going with the Edge Plus?

“The Drive CT has an ongoing financial impact of $60,000 per year for maintenance,” said Mowbray, “and we have other large capital projects to consider.”

“The board has made this decision in the best interests of Kincardine on a go-forward basis,” concluded Gilbert.

Given the comments in the chat section, most people did not agree.