St. Mary’s is the only regional cardiac care centre in the province without an MRI machine. It’s also the only hospital in Waterloo region without one.
These valuable diagnostic machines provide quick diagnosis for a variety of problems from cancer to Alzheimer's as well results for cardiac patients.
Thanks to some funding from the province, the Kitchener hospital has been able to offset the operational costs for a new MRI, but more money is needed to purchase the machine itself and the hospital foundation’s president and CEO, Susan Dusick, says it's something the community desperately needs.
“We're the only cardiac centre in the province of Ontario that does not have an MRI. It’s important that St. Marys gets it but it’s also important that this region as a whole gets an increase in access to an MRI because we're sorely under serviced right now.”
“Our patients have to be transported when they’re incredibly fragile because cardiac patients in need of MRI are very ill, they’re very fragile and they have to then be transferred to Grand River or Cambridge Memorial.”
CMH has had its MRI machine since 2012.
St. Mary's partnered with Grand River Hospital on April 4 in a campaign to raise money and help offset the costs of two MRI machines for the region.
“MRI uses powerful magnetic fields and radio frequency pulses and that is combined with sophisticated computer imagery that provides these vivid images. It makes it easy to see things. It’s non-invasive and there is no radiation use.”
St.Marys is looking to have their first MRI machine by next February as Grand River looks to have their second, refurbished MRI machine by August.
“What we now have to do as a community is raise money for the equipment itself, the actual magnets as they are called and in the case of St. Mary’s we have to raise money for the renovation, so we have to renovate some space inside the hospital,” said Dusick.
Together both hospitals are asking for $10 million from the community.
The new MRI machines will help patients in the region waiting long time periods for elective MRIs.
According to a press release from the hospital’s foundation, $7.6 million would be directed for St. Mary’s first MRI and $2.4 million for Grand River’s second MRI machine.
So far, the foundations have raised $4 million toward their $10 million dollar goal, thanks to some notable donors, said Dusick.
Part of the money going towards St. Mary’s MRI machine would offset costs of renovating the hospital to accommodate the large piece of equipment, magnet costs and everything needed to get it up and running.
Dusick said at Grand River they'll do what's called a de-streaming process with the existing MRI.
The 20-year-old machine will get stripped down to the magnet and refurbished.
All the images created by newer MRI machines are developed instantaneously because it's all digital. Patients don’t have to wait for results.
“From a cardiac perspective we know that it's pretty much the only tool of choice for looking at certain types of damage to cardiac tissue and the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. So, it's very, very important. The fact that as a cardiac centre we don’t have it is pretty shocking.”
Waiting for a diagnosis is often stressful for patients and their families, added Dusick.
“It's like dominoes. You can't transport some patients because they are too unstable, so we have to use what we have onsite at St. Mary's, our CT scanner. This means these patients are taking up CT spots from other patients who have been waiting for CT," says Dr. Derek Karanwal, joint chief and medical director of medical imaging for both St. Mary's General and Grand River hospitals in a press release.
"Having MRI on site at St. Mary's and an additional MRI machine at Grand River will allow for more equitable access for inpatients and outpatients at both hospitals. It will also reduce the strain on existing diagnostic modalities across the region."
Currently, Grand River diagnoses close to 17,000 patients with an MRI machine annually.
Grand River also reports a six to eight month wait list for elective outpatient exams.
More than 2,500 patients in the region are currently waiting for an elective MRI scan and they can often wait an average 82 days, more than three times the provincial target time.
The newest MRI machine at Grand River Hospital, funded in 2021 by Equitable Life of Canada, operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
When that equipment is undergoing repairs there is often no back up or replacement, meaning patients are waiting even longer.
To donate the community can go online to the St. Mary’s hospital foundation website.
