First MRI Machine, Bringing Advanced Care Closer to Home
Collingwood General and Marine Hospital (CGMH) has reached a major milestone with the opening of its Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) program. This new, state-of-the-art diagnostic tool will help thousands of South Georgian Bay residents access the care they need, closer to home. For the first time, patients in the region will no longer need to travel out of the area for MRI services, enabling faster diagnoses and more timely treatment.
Located on the hospital’s lower level, the MRI suite occupies 2,000 square feet of newly renovated space. “We’re proud to open this new service to our community,” says Michael Lacroix, CGMH President and CEO. “This state-of-the-art technology delivers exceptional image quality, speed, and efficiency, all within a patient-friendly design. It reflects our ongoing commitment to investing in advanced tools that enhance patient care and create capacity to support both our clinical teams and the communities we serve.”
CGMH is deeply grateful to the provincial government for approving the new MRI for our community – one of many new MRI’s being introduced at hospitals across the province – and for providing the funding to operationalize it.
The hospital also extends heartfelt gratitude to our community and the CGMH Foundation for their extraordinary generosity and steadfast support. Raising over $5 million is a powerful testament to our community’s shared commitment to equipping CGMH with leading-edge technology.
Local resident, Jen Lauriault expressed her gratitude at being the first patient scanned using CGMH’s new MRI machine. “This is fantastic,” she shared. “Thanks to this advancement, I was able to have my appointment five months earlier than originally scheduled – without the added stress of leaving my community. It’s truly a game-changer for access to local healthcare.”
The opening of the new MRI reflects the power of strong government investment, generous community philanthropy, and collaborative healthcare leadership working together to improve access to care. Together, we are expanding our capacity to meet today’s healthcare needs – as we proceed along our journey of building our hospital of tomorrow.
“This new service will allow CGMH to complete 5,500 MRI scans annually, significantly reducing regional wait times and providing patients faster access to critical diagnostics close to home,” says Dr. Murray Miller, Chief of Radiology. “It’s a major step forward for healthcare in our community.”
Additional information can be found on the MRI section of the CGMH website.