The Owen Sound Regional Hospital. (Photo by Nathan Shubert)
Grey Bruce Health Services are getting ready to add a second new MRI machine to their diagnostic imaging department.
The Ontario government is investing over $800,000 to support the operating costs.
Rebecca Cummings, the vice president of corporate services, says that when they installed the new MRI machine in Owen Sound in 2020, they found that there was enough remaining space for a second unit.
“It left a space that would allow us to put a second machine in with minimal construction. We do about 10,000 scans per year, and this is greatly going to help with our wait time.”
By the time they complete their procurement process, and do what little construction needs to be done, they’re hoping that the new MRI will be installed in the fall of 2023.
“This is very exciting. It aligns with our plans for our regional stroke program and will really help with wait times that we’ve seen increasing over the past several months.”
Cummings also says that anyone who will need a scan between now and then will have no issues with getting their needed diagnostic scans completed with the unit already in place.
She says that in order to raise the money — around $3.5-million — to purchase and install a second MRI machine, Grey Bruce Health Services will be launching a fundraising campaign with their foundations.
Cummings says that the medical imaging team at the hospital is very excited to have another imaging machine available to them in the near future, saying that the staff is “Very happy. I would say this is welcome, happy news for the entire medical imaging team.”
The funding comes from the provincial government’s investment of over $20 million to support the operations of 27 new MRI machines across Ontario.
