CT Scan Campaign: Dominican Goal: $1 Million • Aromas Hosts Holiday Art Festival

CT Scan Campaign

Dominican Goal: $1 Million

Dominican Hospital has a team of nine radiologists and 30 technologists and staff doing about 64 CT scans per day for in-patients and out-patients, in the emergency department, cardiology, oncology and for other reasons.

In August, the hospital decommissioned a GE Light-speed (16-slice) CT installed in 2004.

That leaves a Siemens Somatom (64-slice) CT installed in 2008 and a GE Bright-speed (16-slice) mobile CT trailer added in 2020 due to repeated failures of existing equipment.

Dr. Nanette Mickiewicz, MD, president/CEO of Dominican Hospital, calls CT scans “the most heavily used imaging technology in community hospital settings,” and this is true at Dominican.

This is because CT scans are a key tool to diagnose disease.

Dominican Hospital Foundation has begun a campaign to fund two new CT scanners to provide sharper images with lower doses of radiation.

The $4.3 million campaign is supported by $1.5 million from Dominican’s parent, CommonSpirit Health, and $1.8 million allocated by Dominican Hospital Foundation.

The Foundation aims to raise $1 million in a local fund drive to buy two advanced Siemens Somatom Definition Edge 128-slice computerized tomography (CT) scanners.

These machines have CARE kV, a feature that automatically sets the right kV (radiation energy) for reproducible image quality and contrast enhancement at the lowest possible radiation dose, according to the Foundation. “Providing the best imaging at the lowest possible radiation dose is of critical importance — the effects of radiation over a lifetime are cumulative and often irreversible,” according to the Foundation’s campaign material.

Gifts will be matched 1:1 up to $50,000 to support the campaign.

The match is in honor of Sister Julie Hyer, OP, the long-serving president of Dominican Hospital, who died this year, and provided by Jim Thompson, former Foundation board member and long-time champion of Dominican Hospital. n This year’s Holiday Art Festival will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, and Sunday Nov. 20, hosted by the Aromas Hills Artisans in the Aromas Grange.

The nicely refurbished building will be filled with artwork and celebration. Jesse Martinez will sing his lovely—sometimes zany songs, keeping everyone in a joyful holiday mood. Original paintings, etchings photography and collage works will be for sale. Wood-turners and carvers will explain their methods and ceramic artists will show their wares. There will be beautiful stained-glass items, hand-painted Ukrainian eggs, hand-sewn aprons, handmade European-style greeting cards and many types of handmade jewelry.

Local authors Tina Baine, Debra Smith and Joyce Oroz will sign their newest books.

Aromas locals are baking up

a storm and will be selling baked goods and bowls of chili with cornbread on the side. Sign up for one of the free handson workshops and make something wonderful that you can keep. Sister Julie Hyer Tickets are sold for the Aromas Hills Artisans’ annual raffle featuring two dozen pieces of original art. The drawing happens Sunday afternoon. So drive out to the lovely little town of Aromas with its many murals and enjoy a delightful festival experience at 400 Rose Ave., Aromas. n

Aromas Hosts Holiday Art Festival