BY JIMMY LAWTONNorth Country This Week

OGDENSBURG — CT imaging services have resumed at Claxton-Hepburn Medical Campus, restoring an important diagnostic resource for patients in the North Country, North Star Health Alliance officials said in a prepared statement..

CT examinations may now be scheduled and performed as usual, according to the health alliance.

The interruption in CT services lasted an extended period and created challenges for patients, families, employees and health care providers throughout the region.

“We know the length of this interruption was significant, and we recognize the impact of having an important diagnostic service unavailable for an extended period,” Andy Manzer, interim chief executive officer of North Star Health Alliance said. “Restoring CT service was a critical priority for North Star throughout the outage, and our teams remained focused on doing everything necessary to resolve the issue and return this essential service to our patients.”

The repair required multiple replacement parts, specialized technical support, calibration and safety testing before the scanner could be returned to patient use, according to North Star. The availability and installation of some replacement components contributed to the extended timeline.

North Star said its team worked with service experts throughout the outage to complete repairs and restore CT imaging as quickly and safely as possible.

The health alliance also thanked local rescue squads, EMS providers and others in the regional health care community for helping support patients and maintain access to care during the interruption.

With CT services restored, the Radiology Department is working to accommodate patients whose examinations were delayed or redirected during the outage.

Patients with questions or concerns can contact the Radiology Department at 315-713-5141.

The restoration of CT services comes good news in what has been a rough year. 

North Star filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Feb. 10 amid mounting financial pressures that had resulted in more than 200 job cuts. The filing included North Star and its affiliated organizations, including Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center, Carthage Area Hospital and Meadowbrook Terrace. Now the system is looking to end child delivery services, nuclear medicine and close several clinics, but will need permission from the Department of Health to complete the process. 

At a public hearing in Ogdensburg, more than 300 people attended with dozens speaking out against the plan they say will lead to deaths for mothers and children alike.

Despite the ongoing problems, Claxton-Hepburn Medical Campus continues to provide 24-hour emergency department care, inpatient medical and surgical care, diagnostic imaging, laboratory services, ambulatory surgery, cancer care, specialty services and other hospital-based services.