Archives June 1, 2023

The Manitoba government is investing more than $15 million to reduce patient wait times by adding two new scanners at Selkirk Regional Health Centre and doubling CT scan capacity for Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority.

“The Selkirk Regional Health Centre plays an important role in our health-care system, serving as a central hub for hospitals and health centres throughout the Interlake-Eastern health region,” said Health Minister Audrey Gordon. “Investing in two new CT scanners and more staff to operate those means residents in Selkirk and the broader health region will have improved access to integral diagnostic services closer to home.”

One CT scanner will be entirely new to the facility, while the other will replace aging equipment to ensure safe, reliable and efficient services. The funding will allow for double the CT scans to be performed in Selkirk to 34,000 scans from the current 17,000 scans annually. Combined, they will serve

Maybe it’s because Robin Leach’s Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous predominated my young adulthood, but when I heard the term “Lifestyle Medicine” a couple weeks ago, two images popped into my head: guru doctors with celebrity clients and Dr. Oz highlighting the latest unproven wellness theory. I thought it might be one of a long-line of health and fitness crazes that is here today, gone tomorrow, requiring a pricey investment in unregulated dietary supplements, fancy cold-pressed juices, a subscription-based app and the newest exercise equipment.

 It’s a real thing, though. And it’s been around for a long time as the first line of defense for preventing and treating chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity. But it’s only been in the last decade or so that it has been recognized as a clinical specialty in which physicians can earn board certification. 

In Lifestyle Medicine, certified