MRI to be open by October
Renovations have started and a new magnetic-resonance imager (MRI) is expected to be in service at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital by October.
That was one of the announcements made to officially kick off a broad public fundraising campaign for that MRI, as well as new x-ray and ultrasound facilities at STEGH on Wednesday, May 29.
The hospital atrium was filled with STEGH Foundation supporters for the event, which also came with news that FDC Foundation of Mississauga had agreed to match new donations, up to a total of $1-million, as part of the “Transforming Tomorrow” fundraising campaign.
Campaign Chairman Jeff Yurek noted that 80 percent of the campaign’s goal of $8-million to upgrade both medical imaging equipment and spaces at the hospital had already been reached.
Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer Mary Lou Crowley said, “The FDC Foundation believes in the power of community and the profound impact that access to advanced health care can have on every individual in St. Thomas and Elgin County.
“They hope to inspire members of the STEGH community to give generously, knowing that their contributions will be doubled and their impact magnified.
“Together, we can ensure that the latest in Diagnostic Imaging is available right here in Elgin County.”
Mr. Yurek, opening the event, stated, “Supporting our hospital is not just important, it’s essential.”
The new MRI would be the first of its kind in Elgin and St. Thomas and would save local residents 5,000 trips to London a year to have such imaging done there.
“Today, we are stepping into the future.”
This area had many worthy charities, he continued, but at some point, everyone would need to use STEGH’s services.
The generosity of donors would allow residents to enjoy better health treatment in the region served by the hospital, he said. “Investing in health care requires us to reject the status quo.
“Together we stand on the edge of a brighter and healthier future.”
STEGH President and Chief Executive Officer Karen Davies said a hospital like STEGH not having an MRI already was odd to her, and the local support to get one would inspire the staff and doctors to do more than ever to care for local residents.
The hospital already conducted over 80,000 diagnostic imaging tests a year, and that would only increase as the city and county grew in population, she predicted.
Dr. Stefan Potoczny, chief of diagnostic imaging at STEGH, pledged $25,000 toward the campaign on behalf of him and his family.
He related a personal experience where an MRI played a critical role in the treatment of his own father’s brain cancer.
His father had grown up in Sault Ste. Marie and entered the priesthood, drawn to serve the community, but later, with dispensation from his church, he left to marry and raise three children.
His father had died 10 years ago of brain cancer, and an MRI had been pivotal in diagnosing his illness, treating him, and ultimately letting him know how much time he had left, Dr. Potoczny said.
Doctors and staff in the diagnostic imaging department were “kind of like the Wizard of Oz,” seen little by patients but critically important in diagnosing and treating illnesses, he added.
The new MRI, renovations, two new x-ray rooms and four new ultrasound suites, were only the start of building what he expected to become a state-of-the-art nuclear medicine department at STEGH.
Vera Warren of St. Thomas, campaign ambassador, told the story of her son Tyler, who died at the age of 29 in 2019 after a five-year battle with cancer.
Tyler had undergone over 40 MRI scans in London as part of his treatments. “He lived two months at a time for five years” between the scans.
Ms. Warren said she clearly understood the stress and burden placed on patients and their loved ones from having to travel outside their home community to have MRI scans.
She hoped that, after the new imager opened at STEGH, no one else from St. Thomas or Elgin would have to go through that.
Rob Perry, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Aylmer Express
