As a kid growing up in Ontario, Tarryl Hartling had a dream of living and working in the country.
She chased her dream, first to Whitehorse and onto Kamloops before accepting a position to work at the Chase Health Centre. The people and the community grounded her. Fourteen years later, she continues to work at the health centre as a registered technologist of radiology.
“I live in Chase and I'm invested in the people who live there,
because I know them on a personal level,” ~ Tarryl
“Everyone at the health centre works together well. Our end game is always the patients’ best interest and making sure they have the treatment they need."
If that need is an X-ray, patients will now receive it directly in Chase, in a newly renovated radiology room featuring a state-of-the-art machine that began serving patients on Jan. 31, 2022.
The $620,000 investment means people won't have to travel to another community for the service. The renovated radiology room also provides an improved patient experience for those needing an X-ray. The project also benefitted the entire health centre, as it required a full electrical upgrade to the building during the installation of the machine. This included a dedicated power supply to the ambulance bay for BC Emergency Health Services personnel.
The project was funded by Interior Health, but the nearby Chase and District Health Services Foundation had offered to raise money for the important purchase. As part of the project, and with the support of the Foundation, the radiology room had a complete makeover with new walls, paint and flooring as well as the addition of a power generator room and a new, ergonomically safe office.
“The community support from the Chase Foundation is amazing,” says Cathy Thibault, a now-retired Interior Health manager who supported the Chase Health Centre. “They were willing to ask, ‘how much this would cost?’ and ‘could they be part of the fundraising?’ We couldn’t do what we do without all of our partners."
It’s an example of an all-hands-on-deck approach at the Chase Health Centre that is echoed throughout the small community of some 3,000 people. Here, the people work together to support patients and their community.
Photo above: Registered technologist of radiology Tarryl Hartling with a new X-ray machine at the Chase Health Centre.
