New money for Erie Shores MRI suite will double the number of scans it can do, CEO says
The province committed an additional $540,800 Thursday during the ribbon cutting for the facility
The president and CEO of Erie Shores HealthCare says new provincial money to boost operation of its brand new MRI suite will allow the facility to double the number of scans it can do each year – from around 6,000 to around 12,000.
Kristin Kennedy said that amounts to around 40 or 50 scans per day, five days per week.
"It's a good day for everyone in the communities we serve," Kennedy said.
"This is a big deal, especially for a small, rural community hospital. ... We think it shows that we are a regional player in Windsor-Essex County."
The province announced an additional $540,800 in annual funding Thursday morning during the ribbon-cutting event for the new suite.
The new money brings the total annual contribution from the province to $1.34 million.
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That will allow the suite to increase its hours of operation from eight to 16, according to a news release from the hospital.
MPP Trevor Jones, representing Chatham Kent —Leamington said the MRI is a "milestone" for the community that is "improving access to advanced diagnostic tools close to home."
"More health care closer to home is a huge benefit for our region," said Essex MPP Anthony Leardi.
The new MRI machine is Leamington's first, though Erie Shores operated a mobile unit between April and November of last year.
Prior to that, people across Essex County typically travelled to Windsor for scans, Kennedy said.
The wait time for an MRI in Essex County was between 18 months and three years before the hospital began operating the mobile unit, she said.
The approximately 2,500 scans performed by that unit lowered the wait time by about six weeks. But the hospital currently receives 50 to 60 requisitions every day, Kennedy said.
So it will still need to find ways to stay on top of that demand.
"Really it's streamlining the process," she said. "Working to make sure that we're ordering the right tests for the right patients and the right diagnostics.
"There is access to CT scans, ultrasounds, and MRI, so it's really reaching out to the physicians and choosing wisely and choosing the right tests."
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