CT Scanner arrives at Bucktail Medical Center

By Christopher Miller

SOUTH RENOVO, PA – News arrived Thursday that the new Computerized Tomography, or CT scanner, has arrived at Bucktail Medical Center.

This scanner, a first for the western Clinton County hospital, has been a blessing and a long-awaited service for residents and visitors to the area.

“This is one of the big steps for BMC,” said Administrator/CEO Tim Reeves. “This and the ambulance are the first two steps necessary for medical services in our area with us being the only service in town.”

Currently, patients needing CT scans are being transported to Lock Haven or as far away as Jersey Shore.

“Right now if a patient needs a CT scan they won’t even stop here knowing that we don’t have the technology,” said the BMC chief . “We are hoping to increase patient volume through our Emergency Room and this service right here in our backyard.”

The medical center, which currently sees average requests for CT scans between 21-27 people a month, tracked the number of patients to see how many could have been fully treated at BMC with no issue.

“Of that we estimate around one-third of CT scan request patients could have been fully treated here,” Reeves said.

The scanner is currently on-site at Bucktail Medical Center and will be deemed fully operational as early as the beginning of November.

“PPL is on call to come out and help to get us set up with the necessary electricity, but we have a generator we can run for the short-term after the physicist comes next week to set up the machine,” said Reeves.