Amazing

Raising $1.5 million locally in order to purchase a CT Scanner for La Verendrye Hospital here must have seemed like a daunting task when district resident Bill Michl took the first stride of his 60-mile run from Rainy River to Fort Frances in the pre-dawn darkness back on Oct. 20.
Yet now, just over three months later, the “Just Imagine” campaign is only about $300,000 short of its goal.
In a word: amazing.
With this morning’s “radio-a-thon” raising more than $155,000, the finish line is in sight—thanks to the overwhelming generosity of district residents and businesses.
Certainly, the need for a CT Scanner at La Verendrye is evident, with campaign chairman Deane Cunningham telling town council Monday night that, at present, about 500 people in Rainy River District require scans for various conditions.
The benefits are just as obvious. It means reduced wait times for those currently having to go out of town for an appointment, as well as potentially life-saving access in cases of emergencies. Travel time would be cut drastically and fewer travel grants would have to be doled out by the province—a savings to the taxpayer in the end.
Equally important, providing yet another service at our state-of-the-art hospital could well attract new doctors to practise here—and perhaps be the deciding factor in whether a family opts to move to this area.
People have shown their support of the “Just Imagine” campaign by opening their own wallets. District municipalities now are being asked to do the same, and hopefully will follow suit to put this worthy drive over the top.