Two new MRI machines will be coming to Windsor and Essex County.
On Monday, the Ministry of Health announced funding to operate 27 new machines throughout the province.
Erie Shores Healthcare and Windsor Regional Hospital will each receive around $800,000 a year to operate an MRI machine.
"The new MRI will enhance the quality of care for patients, minimize E.R. wait times and decrease in-patient length of stay,' said ESHC CEO Kristin Kennedy.
This will be Windsor Regional Hospital's third MRI machine. It will be located at the Ouellette campus, but an exact location has not been finalized.
Once both machines are up and running, it will drastically reduce the wait time for semi-urgent and nonurgent scans.
"It's going to make a big difference for those who have been waiting for an MRI over the next year, or those who are going to have an MRI referred in the middle of 2023, and after it's going to make a big difference in access to an MRI," said WRH CEO David Musyj.
Both hospitals will be responsible for purchasing the equipment.
Erie Shores Healthcare estimates it will need around $3-million to make the purchase and retrofit the hospital to house it. It's estimated the new equipment will be operational within two years.
"Our community has always stepped up and donated the dollars for critical infrastructure investments in this hospital, and they will continue to do so. I have no concerns that that will come to fruition sooner rather than later," said Kennedy.
Windsor Regional Hospital has the funds in place and will be ordering the equipment shortly.
"I don't want to compete against Erie Shores. I know this is a brand new MRI for them, and as a result, they will be fundraising the capital dollars. So we're not going to be waiting for donations to get this up and running, it's going to happen," said Musyj.
The machine at Windsor Regional Hospital is expected to be up and running within nine months to a year.
