Today, the Ontario government announced that they will be investing in new MRI machines at Grand River Hospital and St. Mary's General Hospital. The funding from the government will cover the day-to-day operations and maintenance of a second MRI machine at Grand River Hospital, while we need your help to raise the money needed to cover the cost of the new machine itself.

Thanks to a recent investment by Equitable Life of Canada, the Hospital already has a new MRI machine that will become operational in January 2022, replacing the Hospital's previous machine from 2003.

But a second new MRI machine at Grand River Hospital will mean that people across the Waterloo region will have more access to vital diagnostic MRI services and experience shorter wait times—it will be a game changer that brings us one step closer to a world class health system right here for our community.

Imaging is a critical diagnostic tool across all areas of care. As both the population and the demand for imaging services continue to increase across the region, an additional MRI machine will allow us to meet the growing needs of our community and enable faster access to imaging and care close to home, something Grand River hasn't always had the capacity for in the past. With the addition of more resources comes the ability to make diagnoses earlier so patients can get the care they need sooner.

Currently, Grand River Hospital performs 17,000 MRIs annually, and the addition of a second MRI machine will allow us to provide services to an additional 4,500 patients each year. Not only will patients have more access to imaging services locally, but it will also allow us to to reduce wait times for MRI services by more than half, from up to seven months to 90 days or less.

We're counting on you to make sure care never stops—we need your help to raise $2.4M for this second MRI machine. Donate in support of a new MRI machine at Grand River Hospital today and make sure that these vital services are available to everyone in our community for generations to come.

Click here to read the full press release.