{"id":754472,"date":"2026-06-22T22:04:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T22:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/754472\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T22:04:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T22:04:21","slug":"75000-new-diagnostic-equipment-enhances-care-at-bethesda-hospital-steinbachonline-com-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/754472\/","title":{"rendered":"$75,000 new diagnostic equipment enhances care at Bethesda Hospital – SteinbachOnline.com"},"content":{"rendered":"

Patients across southeastern Manitoba will soon have access to advanced swallowing assessments closer to home thanks to a $75,000 donation from the Bethesda Foundation.<\/a><\/p>\n

The Bethesda Regional Health Centre<\/a> has purchased a new Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) system, a specialized piece of equipment used to diagnose swallowing disorders, also known as dysphagia.<\/p>\n

The equipment allows healthcare professionals to assess swallowing function in real time using a thin, flexible camera inserted through the nose. The system helps identify whether food, liquids, medications or even a patient’s own secretions are entering the airway, which can lead to serious complications such as pneumonia.<\/p>\n

Speech-Language Pathologist Camryn Turton said the technology will make a significant difference for patients throughout the region.<\/p>\n

“We can assess in real time the risk of aspiration,” said Turton. “The wonderful thing about FEES compared to video fluoroscopy is that we can assess secretions. That’s big for really high-risk patients.”<\/p>\n


\n@steinbach_online<\/a> The Bethesda Foundation recently received a $75,000 grant which is going towards an #EndoscopicSwallowingSystem<\/a>. Learn more about it in the article on #SteinbachOnline<\/a> \u266c original sound – SteinbachOnline<\/a> <\/p>\n

Bringing care directly to patients<\/p>\n

Unlike traditional swallowing assessments that require patients to travel for specialized imaging, the FEES system can be brought directly to a patient’s bedside.<\/p>\n

Turton said that capability is especially important for patients recovering from strokes or those with mobility challenges.<\/p>\n

“I can bring this down to the ER when someone comes in with a stroke, and we can just get it all done right there,” she said. “So then we can actually create a plan that we feel really good about.”<\/p>\n

The system also eliminates the need for radiation exposure and barium swallowing studies in many cases.<\/p>\n

Patients can remain in their hospital bed or wheelchair during the assessment, making the process safer and more comfortable.<\/p>\n

Real-time views lead to better care<\/p>\n

One of the biggest advantages of the new FEES system is its ability to provide highly detailed, real-time views of the swallowing process.<\/p>\n

Using a small camera inserted through the nose, clinicians can watch the movement of food and liquids as a patient swallows. The food used during testing is dyed bright green, allowing specialists to identify even tiny amounts of residue or material entering the airway.<\/p>\n

“We get to watch it in real time,” said Turton. “I can go back and really analyze it frame by frame to look for little tiny bits of residue and things like that.”<\/p>\n

Turton explained that swallowing is an extremely complex process involving numerous muscles that must work together with precise timing and coordination.<\/p>\n

“Swallowing is such a complex system,” she said. “If any of those things don’t work great, strength, coordination or timing, then it doesn’t work great.”<\/p>\n

The technology also allows clinicians to identify specific causes of swallowing difficulties and develop more targeted treatment plans.<\/p>\n

“We can actually visualize what’s happening and provide better recommendations,” said Turton. “That’s such a motivating factor to do your exercises because you’re seeing in real time that it’s helping.”<\/p>\n

Patients can even watch the assessment as it happens, helping them better understand their condition and see how therapy techniques and exercises improve swallowing function.<\/p>\n

Improving quality of life<\/p>\n

Dysphagia affects people recovering from strokes, those living with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, and many older adults.<\/p>\n

Turton said the condition is far more common than many people realize.<\/p>\n

“So many people think they’re the only ones that deal with this,” she said. “We need more SLPs. It’s so common in the natural aging process or in neurodegenerative conditions or strokes.”<\/p>\n

She noted that swallowing difficulties often affect far more than a person’s physical health.<\/p>\n

“Eating is something we do socially,” said Turton. “We have Thanksgiving gatherings. You want to have your family recipes. If you can’t eat any of that, that’s such a huge culture, identity and enjoyment thing. We want to be able to give that to people.”<\/p>\n

Related Stories:<\/p>\n

An eight-year journey to improve swallowing care<\/p>\n

Diane Reimer, Manager of Rehabilitation Services at Bethesda Regional Health Centre<\/a>, said staff have been working toward bringing this type of swallowing assessment technology to Steinbach for years.<\/p>\n

“We’ve been asking for a type of swallow assessment like this for eight years,” said Reimer.<\/p>\n

Initially, the hospital explored offering video fluoroscopy, another swallowing assessment method that relies on X-ray imaging. When that option proved impractical, staff turned their attention to the FEES system.<\/p>\n

Reimer said the equipment will benefit patients throughout Southern Health-Sant\u00e9 Sud<\/a> and reduce the need for travel to other centres.<\/p>\n

“It’s a bedside test. It reduces costs. There’s less transport of patients,” she said. “We’re not tying up ambulances that people need for an emergency instead of taking someone across the region to another site for a test.”<\/p>\n

The hospital purchased the complete system, including two endoscopes, to ensure assessments can continue while one scope is being cleaned and sterilized.<\/p>\n

Helping prevent serious complications<\/p>\n

Reimer said swallowing difficulties often cause patients to avoid eating because of repeated choking episodes.<\/p>\n

“When you’re choking on your food, you will choose not to eat because we will always choose to breathe before anything else,” said Reimer.<\/p>\n

She added that impaired swallowing can contribute to pneumonia and other serious complications when food, liquids or bacteria-laden secretions enter the lungs.<\/p>\n

In the past, Bethesda patients often had to travel to Portage la Prairie or Boundary Trails Health Centre for advanced swallowing assessments. Those trips could be difficult or impossible for medically unstable patients.<\/p>\n

“We’re very thankful to the foundation for footing the bill,” said Reimer. “If your mom was here and had a stroke and she’s unwell and struggling to eat, now we can come to her bedside and do that for her.”<\/p>\n

Turton said the new equipment dramatically improves access to care.<\/p>\n

“The biggest thing is we would only send our most severe patients to Portage or Boundary for a video fluoroscopy,” she said. “Now it’s opened up where we can do this for all of our patients. It’s a huge access-to-health-care thing.”<\/p>\n

\"BethesdaBethesda Foundation cheque presentation to Bethesda Regional Health Care Centre staff, Camryn Turton (far left), Diane Reimer (centre) \u00a0and Alisa Harder (right) Executive Director of Bethesda Foundation.
\nFoundation sees long-term value<\/p>\n

The Bethesda Foundation stepped up to fund the entire project, contributing just over $75,000 toward the purchase.<\/p>\n

Executive Director Alisa Harder said the investment aligns perfectly with the foundation’s goal of improving local healthcare services.<\/p>\n

“We felt like the value of this equipment to have locally in Steinbach was very much worth it,” said Harder.<\/p>\n

While the amount exceeded what the foundation would normally grant for a single piece of equipment, Harder said the impact on patient care made the decision an easy one.<\/p>\n

“Being able to keep people local and provide them with services they can’t previously have, I think, is invaluable,” she said. “This was very much money well spent from our perspective.”<\/p>\n

\"OlympusOlympus computer system used to aid the SLP using the new FEES scope.
\nHigh demand expected<\/p>\n

Hospital staff anticipate the equipment will be heavily used once it becomes fully operational.<\/p>\n

The rehabilitation team already has patients waiting for swallowing assessments, and the new system will help address those needs more efficiently.<\/p>\n

Turton said the hospital now has two scopes available, allowing multiple assessments to be completed each day while equipment is cleaned and prepared for the next patient.<\/p>\n

She expects the system will dramatically increase access to swallowing assessments compared to the previous referral-based process.<\/p>\n

“Whereas before I would send one patient every couple of months for a video fluoroscopy, this is a total game changer here,” said Turton.<\/p>\n

After completing extensive training in Winnipeg, Seattle and through mentorship with specialists at Riverview Health Centre, Turton is eager to begin using the technology.<\/p>\n

“This has completely changed the game,” she said. “I’m so excited to use this. It’ll completely change my job, Jess’s job, everything.”<\/p>\n

The rehabilitation team has spent months preparing for implementation, including specialized training and mentorship to ensure local patients can begin benefiting from the technology as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

For patients across southeastern Manitoba, that excitement could soon translate into faster diagnoses, better treatment plans, improved quality of life and specialized care closer to home.<\/p>\n