County of Simcoe Warden George Cornell presented Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital (OSMH) with a cheque for $788,806 Friday in support of the project that brought a brand new CT (Computed Tomography) scanner to its diagnostic imaging department. The donation is going toward the costs associated with removing the old CT, and completing the extensive renovations required to allow for installation of the new technology earlier this year.
“Helping hospitals keep pace with advancements in technology is just one of the ways the County is supporting our area health-care centres,” said Warden George Cornell. “Orillia and our surrounding municipalities are growing and the pressures on our health-care system continue to increase. I speak for all County Councillors when I express how proud we are to have invested $12 million into our area hospitals over the past four years. Hospital funding is a provincial jurisdiction, however, the County provides these additional dollars each year as we understand how vital hospitals are to our residents, communities and local economy.”
Each year, the County allocates $3 million to hospitals that provide care to Simcoe County residents as part of a 15-year, $45 million commitment to the Simcoe County Hospital Alliance, which includes hospitals in Alliston, Barrie, Collingwood, Midland, Newmarket and Orillia, as well as the Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care in Penetanguishene.
“The new CT scanner is now operational and is providing an extensive scope of high quality images with greater efficiency,” said Carmine Stumpo, OSMH President and CEO. “It’s a significant step-up from the previous CT scanner and I want to extend my sincere thanks to Warden Cornell and the entire County Council for their ongoing support of local hospitals.”
Over the past 20 years, OSMH has received approximately $12 million from the County in support of capital projects with the bulk going towards construction of the Community Tower in 2006.
The Simcoe County Hospital Alliance was established in 2002 to advise the County of Simcoe of ongoing hospital capital needs and ensure equitable distribution of the County’s healthcare funding. Since 1994, the County of Simcoe has committed $107 million to improve local hospital care and specialized services.
