Patients at Coteau des Prairies Health Care System will soon benefit from
access to the latest computed tomography (CT) diagnostic technology made
possible through a grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable
Trust’s Rural Healthcare Program.
The Trust has awarded Coteau des Prairies Health Care System $400,000
for a new 40-slice CT scanner. CT scanners provide essential diagnostic
images of structures inside the body. A new CT scanner will allow for
faster scans that produce high-quality images, allowing medical staff
to quickly determine health status and course of treatment while giving
patients access to up-to-date healthcare technology close to home.
“Coteau des Prairies Health Care System is pleased to announce that
the Radiology Department has received a grant from The Leona M. and Harry
B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to bring state-of-the art CT scan technology
to our area and for our patients,” said CDP CEO, Michael Coyle.
“The grant allows CDP to upgrade our current 16-slice CT scanner
to a 40-slice CT scanner. We at CDP are excited once again to partner
with The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to bring cutting
edge technology to our patients. The new CT scanner will improve patient
care and bring urban quality care to our rural community.”
Coteau des Prairies Health Care System is one of 37 grant recipients across
the region to benefit from funding to purchase CT scanners. The Rural
Healthcare Program of the Helmsley Charitable Trust is granting nearly
$14 million over the next six months to support the purchase of new, 32-slice
or higher CT scanners at Critical Access Hospitals in a seven-state region.
“Our goal is to ensure that people who live in rural America have
access to quality healthcare as close to home as possible,” said
Walter Panzirer, trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust. “To achieve
this, rural hospitals need to be viable and they need to have up-to-date
equipment, so patients can receive essential healthcare services locally.
This initiative is one of many that aims to improve healthcare access
and health outcomes across the upper Midwest.”
The funding initiative was the result of a survey of Critical Access Hospitals
in the Rural Healthcare Program’s seven-state funding region. Capital
equipment, particularly CT scanners, was identified as a top need by many
hospitals. In addition, a new Medicare policy will go into effect January
1, 2016 that may reduce reimbursement for certain studies on CT scanners
that do not meet specific radiation dose requirements.