New Scopes at PRRH will save lives in Prince Rupert

It takes teamwork! Members of the Prince Rupert Rampage
hockey club and those involved with the Prince Rupert Talent
Cancer Auction Group celebrate the arrival of new
Olympus cancer screening scopes at PRRH
(from Northern Health)

The successful fundraising of the Prince Rupert Cancer Talent Auction Group and the Prince Rupert Rampage is being celebrated this week by Northern Health, which tells the story of their work this year in reaching the remarkable amount of $107,000 from the community towards cancer detecting scopes for the Prince Rupert Regional Hospital.

In a background item released through the Northern Health communications team, the story of how the scopes will make a difference is outlined, as is the spectacular success of the fundraising efforts in the region.

These new scopes will significantly improve the cancer screening program and endoscopy services for residents of Prince Rupert and nearby communities by better enabling the health team to detect cancer early.

 Scopes allow health care staff to see inside patients’ bodies. The three new scopes purchased for the Prince Rupert Regional Hospital (PRRH) include one gastroscope and two colonoscopes. 

The new, therapeutic, high-definition gastroscope uses image-guided therapy. This new scope screens the esophagus, stomach, and intestine areas for cancer and will support the approximately 200 gastroscopy procedures performed annually at PRRH. 

The two new, slim, high-definition colonoscopes will support the approximately 480 colonoscopy procedures performed annually at the hospital. A colonoscopy looks at the inside lining of the rectum and colon to identify polyps and perform biopsies. With a narrow diameter, the slim colonoscope are better able move through tight areas, making procedures easier to perform, and reducing the risk of tearing. 

We highlighted some of the fundraising work from the January push back in February.

Members of the CIHL's Prince Rupert Rampage in their special edition
Rampage Fight Cancer Jerseys were on hand for the scopes unveiling

You can read more on the work of the Talent Auction Group and Rampage from the full Northern Health item here.

It's not the first time that the community's Senior Men's Hockey team has been paid tribute for their contribution to the region, in April they were saluted with the Paul Harris Fellow Award from Prince Rupert Rotary.

You can review some of their many ways of giving back to the community from our Rampage Archive page.

More notes related to Health Care in Prince Rupert can be explored here.