A new magnetic resonance imaging machine will come online at Erie Shores Healthcare this spring.
The hospital is bringing in a mobile unit as work gets underway to complete the permanent MRI suite.
"It will be a state-of-the-art facility and have some of the most up-to-date technology from across the province," said Kristin Kennedy, ESHC president and CEO. "We're looking at sensory abilities for our patients to have a calm, restful area."
The MRI suite is expected to be complete by the fall of 2024. The Ministry of Health approved operational funds for the diagnostic imaging machine in the fall of 2022.
The machine is expected to help reduce wait times for imaging tests throughout the region. Currently, non-urgent tests can take over 380 days to complete.
Unico and Primo Foods donated $1 million to help bring the project to fruition.
"The community needs this, the community needs this hospital to survive. We see it day in and day out you see people coming here all the time," said Mathew Iacobelli representing Unico and Primo Foods.
To date, the Erie Shores HealthCare Foundation has raised $2 million toward the $5 million campaign for the new MRI machine.
"This donation uplifts the project and invites the community to join in and help us to bring the project to fruition," said Penny Bellhouse, executive director of the Erie Shores Healthcare Foundation.
