Photo: Alexandra Marine and General Hospital, Goderich
The Magnetic Moments Capital Campaign has posed an funding request to Goderich Council.
As a part of the fundraising campaign, they’re requesting that the Town of Goderich contribute $1 million toward an MRI machine at the Alexandra Marine & General Hospital in Goderich.
A presentation was given to council by Florence Witherspoon and Liz Higgins-Sager, who were appearing on behalf of the AMGH Foundation.
Witherspoon pointed out why Huron County deserved its own magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, pointing out that anyone who needs that particular kind of diagnostic imagery has to travel far away just to get the answers they need to proceed with treatment.
Currently, Huron County residents often have to travel to places like London, Stratford, or Owen Sound – one-way travel that can take between one and two hours to get to.
“For many people, especially seniors, those with mobility challenges, and families already under stress, that’s not just a small inconvenience, it’s a barrier to care,” said Witherspoon. “And when people are waiting month for diagnostics, everything downstream is delayed. Answers, treatment, and peace of mind.”
The presentionation mentioned the average amount of time a patient has to wait to get their MRI appointment, and how that can impact not only receiving a diagnosis, but whether a medicinal treatment or surgery is needed.
The pair shared just how long it can take, saying that in September 2025, patients listed as Priorty 4 – less urgent conditions that do not require immediate medical attention, waited an average of 52 days for an MRI in Owen Sound, 66 days at Stratford Hospital, and 360 days for a scan at London’s Health Sciences Centre.
The proposal set forth by the organization would see a new MRI device installed in the basement of the hospital in Goderich, which carries an estimated cost of $2.3 million for the machine itself, and roughly $3 million for the construction, and approximately $750,000 for the associated renovations surrounding the space that’s proposed.
Higgins-Sager said that the cost seems high, but it would benefit the community in the long run.
“Right now, we’re travelling a great ways to get access to this important service. [It] can mean taking time off work, a day without pay, the travel costs, as well as the possibility of needing to depend on family or caregivers for support,” she said. “Not to mention winter driving, and how that might impact the ability of someone to get to their appointment safely.”
She also shared the scheduling difficulties that her own family had to go through.
“There was a period of time where my sister needed regular MRI monitoring for a brain tumor, and at that point she wasn’t able to drive. Her appointments were often booked for 4 am, [or] 11 pm, because a lot of these MRIs go around the clock.”
The pair shared that Goderich Council was the first stop looking for financial support.
They have plans to address Central Huron’s council, then Huron County council before the summer.
Council requested that staff bring back a report on the feasibility of the request.