Honesdale Borough Helps WMH Secure Grant for CT

(December 19, 2017)…Honesdale Borough Council presented Wayne Memorial Hospital with a check for $250,000 to help offset costs of a powerful CT (computerized tomography) scanner. The funds constituted a grant awarded by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development – Pennsylvania Gaming Local Share Account (LSA) Monroe County.  They came from gaming funds accrued in a Local Share Account in Monroe County.  Wayne County does not have its own gambling outlets, but the law states such funds are available to municipalities in counties contiguous to Monroe. They must be used for economic development, community development and public interest projects.

Working with WMH Grants & Development Manager Jack Dennis, Honesdale Borough applied as the municipality acting on behalf of Wayne Memorial.

“This represents the best kind of teamwork for the benefit of an entire community,” said David Hoff, CEO of Wayne Memorial. “It’s important for us as a healthcare provider to constantly update equipment and technology.  The Borough helped us do that.”

A CT scans combine X-ray images and use computer processing to create cross-sectional images or slices of the bones, blood vessels and soft tissues inside the body.  They provide more detailed information than X-rays. The CT scan at WMH is an AquilionTM   PRIME CT from Toshiba. It provides faster exams than the hospital’s previous equipment, according to WMH officials, and uses “the lowest doses of radiation that are reasonably achievable while producing high-quality images for precise diagnoses.”

Under the terms of the grant, Honesdale Borough is entitled to fees from the grant total. Hospital officials thanked the Borough for its efforts and paid $1,500 for the required grant audit and an administrative fee of $5,000 for the pass-through grant administration.

Former Honesdale Borough Councilwoman Juanita Pisano who was instrumental in the acquisition of the grant said overall the Borough was “pleased to see the funds put to good use in our community.”

Photo left to right:  James Hockenbury, director WMH Ancillary Services; Lorraine Aponte, LPN; Doug Buchinski, RT; Michelle Murray, RT; Rob Brzuchalski, CRA, RT, RDMD, WMH Imaging Services manager; Lisa Champeau, manager WMH Public Relations; Judith Poltanis, Honesdale Borough secretary; Juanita Pisano, former Honesdale Borough council member; David Hoff, WMH CEO. Missing: Jack Dennis, WMH Grants & Development Manager/Executive Director Wayne Memorial Health Foundation.