SPECIAL DELIVERY AT SMITHS FALLS HOSPITAL

The day has finally arrived. With great anticipation and six months of preparation the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital (PSFDH) celebrated the arrival of the three tonne Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) unit to the Smiths Falls site on Thursday, Sept. 7.

Staff, leadership and a few members of the local community gathered to watch this incredible moment in the PSFDH health care story.

The arrival of the large magnet, as part of the MRI project, will boost the PSFDH diagnostic imaging suite of services for our

patients and community. The massive unit, valued at $4.1 million and weighing just over 3,300 kilograms, was unloaded from a transport truck flatbed with a crane and positioned into the hospital to its new home on the lower level of the Smiths Falls site.

The new MRI machine will be operational and receive its first patient in October of this year.

"Having MRI at Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital will go a long way to support our patients and families who must travel to larger centres for tests. We have undertaken a threeyear fundraising campaign in support of this service and having the MRI at our Smiths Falls site will have a massive impact on our ability to provide our community care close to home," said Margot Hallam, CEO PSFDH Foundation.

Michael Cohen, PSFDH President & CEO, noted, "We are grateful for the support of the Province of Ontario to have granted permission to operate an MRI for our community. It will support our efforts to reduce wait times for our patients and to support recruitment and retention efforts of health care professionals. We look forward to our continued partnership with our Foundation to raise the community funds for the purchase and installation of our new MRI."

In December 2021, the Province of Ontario announced annual operational

funding support for the PSFDH MRI service. The funding commitment is part of the Province's "Plan to Stay Open" Health System Stability and Recovery" through the Surgical Recovery Strategy. The cost of the actual MRI machine is being supported by generous community donations through an ambitious multi-year campaign led by the Perth & Smiths Falls District Hospital Foundation.

For more information on how to show your support and donate, please visit www.careclosetohome.ca.

The PSFDH Team thanks everyone for their support and patience during the ongoing construction as it is through this work that the patients in the community will be better able to access care closer to home.