A Canon Apollo I-700 is the latest addition to diagnostic equipment at Riverside’s Rainy
River Healthcare Centre, thanks to a grassroots fundraising campaign inspired by the legacy of the late Norma Elliott.
Riverside staff and Rainy River Clinic doctors had identified the old ultrasound as outdated and not capable of providing the level of sophistication and accuracy required for an increasing workload in the Rainy River area. At Rainy River, there were 549 ultrasounds performed in 2022,
Increasing economic activity in the western end of the Rainy River District with a massive increase in agricultural investment and production as well as New Gold’s mining operation, West Fraser and attendant forestry activity have seen increased investments in infrastructure like bridges, roads, and schools. This all adds up to a continuing growing demand for medical services at Riverside’s Rainy River Health Centre.
Ultrasounds that were traditionally operated by a physician or technologist but the increasing capabilities of this non-invasive technology, training of skilled technologists (operators), and greater capabilities and expanded distant medicine or telemedicine is proving this technology as very efficient and cost effective.
When an ultrasound is performed in Rainy River, or Fort Frances as well as other health centres across Northwestern Ontario the results are stored in a computer– PACS- that is searchable from any location enabling healthcare professionals immediate access to historic and current test results without long road trips, lost sonograms, and delayed treatment regimes.
Locally, machines will enhance training and operator efficiency as well as increasing the confidence the radiologist reading the sonogram can take in the expertise of the technologist performing the actual procedure.
“This Apollo 1700 is a delight to operate,” enthused Radiographer Technologist Andrea McNabb who works at both Rainy River and Fort Frances Health Centres. “It is so customizable. Whether I am working in Fort Frances or Rainy River, it is the same machine with the similar controls and the same great image quality.”
“The Apollo I-700 is a stand alone unit and very user friendly. We have some ongoing training scheduled and a few additional attachments to add,” stated McNabb further detailing its flexibility.
Getting approval for the new Ultrasound wasn’t an easy task; it wasn’t scheduled for replacement until 2028. But a purposeful request for the project from medical staff in Rainy River and support from medical staff in Fort Frances outlining the positive effect the new ultrasound would have on patient care was undeniable.
The family of the late Norma Elliott stepped in to kick off a major fundraising effort to make the dream a reality. Norma was a seminal figure in the realization of the new Rainy River Health Centre in the 90s as well as the amalgamation of the Emo and Rainy River Red Cross Hospitals with LaVerendrye Hospital into what has become Riverside Healthcare Inc. Mrs. Elliott was also the provincial government appointed Administrator, that culminated with the Rainycrest attaining operating compliance and becoming part of Riverside in 2005. In honour of Norma, who passed in 2020, the Elliott family pledged and delivered the last of the $30,000 as matching donations to individual contributions to the Ultrasound fund.
“Riverside Foundation, community churches, municipalities, service clubs, businesses
and other organizations have all been very generous with their support,” said Jack Elliott, the
late Mrs. Elliott’s spouse. As of Dec 1, 2023 over $100,000 of the approximately $150,000 has been pledged with a current surplus in the Riverside Foundation’s Rainy River allocated Trust allowing Riverside Inc to complete the purchase of the Ultrasound. Ongoing Fundraising will raise the balance of the cost of the Ultrasound in 2024… because if there is one certainty, “there will always be one more project in our communities that needs funding!”
