La Loche is celebrating new upgrades to its health facilities.

Ribbons were cut this morning to recognize the installation of a new x-ray suite at the La Loche Community Health Centre.

The new facility will bring advanced healthcare to patients of the region.

“I am pleased to see this project come to completion,” Rural and Remote Health Minister Greg Ottenbreit said. “The new x-ray machine will support high-quality, consistent, and timely diagnostics in La Loche for years to come.”

Construction began in mid-July on the room that now houses the state of the art machine.

X-rays from the machines will be generated quickly and can be electronically sent to other healthcare providers.

“Since our facility was built in 2001, we have been working hard to meet the demands of our patients and clients in the region,” said Keewatin Yatthe Regional Health Authority CEO Jean Marc-Desmeules. “We have made a concerted effort to engage with our patients, our patient family advisors and community leaders to update them on the work we are doing and to inquire about ways to improve our service to the community. Today is a testament to those discussions.”

In addition to the new devices, the centre is hoping to add a portable x-ray device to the facility which can be brought to patients beds or be used in a power outage.