You can help buy new medical equipment for the Charlotte County Hospital in St. Stephen.

The ninth annual Charlotte FM Radiothon takes place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday.

All money raised during the event will go to the Charlotte County Hospital Foundation.

Steve Backman, president of the foundation, said they are looking to raise $700,000 to buy a CT scan.

“We have x-ray and mammography but we don’t have the CT scan. That’s really the modern standard of practice for medicine,” Backman said in a recent interview.

Last year, Backman said 800 patients were transferred from the hospital to Saint John and back just for a CT scan.

While the procedure itself only takes about 15 minutes, Backman said having to transfer a patient to Saint John often ties up a number of medical professionals for several hours.

“Often, it is a trip in an ambulance with a nurse taken out of our hospital system and two paramedics. The ambulance is essentially tied up all day for a 15-minute procedure,” he said.

Backman said having our own CT scan will not only improve convenience for Charlotte County residents but will also help attract medical staff to the area.

Dr. Paul Atkinson, clinical academic department head for emergency medicine with Horizon Health, said now is the perfect time to get a CT scan for the hospital.

“The value you can get for a very high-quality CT scan has never been better. The technology is improving, the radiation dose is lower, the speed of these scanners is faster.”

This is the largest fundraising goal for the hospital foundation in the nine years that the radiothon has been airing.

Backman said he knows the radiothon will not raise the full amount, but he hopes it will put a “big dent” in that total.

The foundation also needs to raise several hundred thousand dollars for renovations at the hospital to accommodate the CT scan.

Backman said they expect to complete this fundraising project within two or three years.

You can make a donation by dropping by the Charlotte FM studios on Milltown Boulevard, calling 506-466-1000 or 506-466-2222, or going to the foundation’s website by clicking here.

Donations can be made by cash, cheque, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or e-transfer to cchfcares@gmail.com.