LACGH Foundation provides update on MRI campaign, reaches a quarter of $3.5 million goal

Adam Prudhomme
Editor

Aided in part by a $100,000 donation from the Airhart family, Lennox and Addington County General Hospital Foundation’s MRI campaign is now 25 per cent towards its $3.5 million goal.

The cheque presentation was a great ice breaker for Thursday’s Keep Us Close Campaign presentation, held at the Westdale Auditorium. Members of the public were invited to learn more about the MRI fundraising initiative from Karen Pearson, developer of the MRI Program at LACGH. Artist renderings of the machine and the facility were on display to give guests an idea of the ultimate goal of the campaign.

Pearson was recruited out of a brief retirement to lead the push to procure an MRI machine for LACGH, having assisted several hospitals across the province with various imagining campaigns.

“Dr. (Annette) Polanski (LACGH medical director for diagnostic imaging) and I talked about MRI eight years ago as a dream,” Pearson told the audience during her PowerPoint presentation. “I honestly didn’t think Napanee would see that, certainly not during my active career years….and yet here we are.”

In less than a month-March 11 to be specific-the Siemens Magnetom SOLA 1.5T MRI machine will be delivered to the hospital, where it will be installed in the back corner of the Lenadco building, next door to the main hospital. The first scan is projected to take place by the end of April, early May.

Using an actual image from an MRI as a visual, Pearson explained the value of the machine as a diagnostic tool.

“It is a technology that utilize a powerful magnet, radio waves and a computer to create detailed pictures of a person’s anatomy,” said Pearson.

The example provided showed a clear image of a patient who was experiencing back pain. The source of the discomfort was evident even to those without a medical background.

“When I started in imaging, if a person had torn ligaments, they were having arthroscopy to have a look at the knee…now with an MRI you can see that in a very non-evasive way,” said Pearson.

Once up and running, LACGH’s machine will be used for what is known as P4 scans-these are the lowest priority scans in the medical field. Still necessary, but not urgent as compared to a brain injury or suspicion of cancer. Ideally a P4 would be conducted within 28 days. Currently the average wait time in this region is 730 days. That’s due to the fact that over 7,000 people are on a wait list for a P4 scan within this region.

Along with housing the MRI machine, the renovated Lenadco building will also be the site of the bone mineral density and mammography clinics, allowing the hospital to best utilize its diagnostic imaging staff while freeing up precious space within the main hospital.

Securing an MRI in Napanee was long considered a pipe dream due to the astronomical cost. That was until 2021 when Ontario Health invited hospitals to request funding for operational hours for new MRIs. The caveat was hospitals would be responsible for the cost of the equipment as well as related construction costs.

LACGH submitted an application and was among the first-and smallest-communities to be selected. That ignited the ambitious fundraising campaign with the goal of $3.5 million.

“Without your support over the years we would not have onsite chemotherapy, we wouldn’t have a CT scanner, lab equipment, patient monitors and numerous other items that the staff and physicians utilize daily to provide care for all of us,” said Pearson. “You love and support your community and that’s obvious. It is your ongoing support that inspired the administration of the board to pursue this project, bringing an MRI to LACGH. it is only because of people like you that an MRI program will be such a success in your community.”

To learn more about the Keep Us Close Campaign, visit https://lacghfoundation.com/campaign/.