Donors, dignitaries and Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC) team members gathered today to celebrate a major milestone in healthcare for Muskoka and Almaguin – the official opening of a brand-new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) suite at Huntsville District Memorial Hospital (HDMH) Site.
The grand opening marks the culmination of a long journey to bring MRI services to Muskoka, including a $10 million fundraising campaign by the Huntsville Hospital Foundation to purchase the new machine and fund the building addition. Only hours before the ribbon cutting, Huntsville resident Ben Osorio had an MRI scan of his left knee, describing himself as lucky to be the first patient scanned by the state-of-the-art imaging tool.
The new MRI service will connect more people to the care they need closer to home, says Cheryl Harrison, President and CEO at MAHC, adding the grand opening is a testament to what happens when vision meets collaboration and partnership, amazing philanthropy, advocacy and leadership, and government support.
“This journey started more than five years ago with an application to the Ministry of Health to provide MRI services alongside our District Stroke Centre in Muskoka,” says Harrison. “I am so happy that Muskoka is among the first of the 49 new MRI machines the Ontario government is adding across the province, alongside our District Stroke Centre in Huntsville. Our clinical teams, physicians, and radiologists now have access to a powerful diagnostic tool that will reduce wait times, improve patient outcomes, and support timely, local care. No more long drives out of the region. No more delays in diagnosis. This MRI is changing the game, and I want to thank everyone who made this possible.”
The new local MRI service in Muskoka is transformational to healthcare access, saving over 7,000 hours behind the wheel for patients, and sparing more than 700,000 kilometres of travel to hospitals outside of our region for an MRI. In fact, some local patients with requisitions on file in Orillia are being contacted to have their MRI completed locally, in Muskoka.
It is anticipated that the new machine will complete 5,000 MRI scans locally every year.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to see the new MRI machine now up and running in Parry Sound-Muskoka,” says Graydon Smith, MPP for Parry Sound-Muskoka. “This milestone is a testament to our government’s commitment to strengthening rural healthcare and to the generosity and dedication of our local donors and community partners. Their support has been invaluable in making advanced medical imaging accessible right here at home. Faster diagnoses and better care for everyone in Parry Sound-Muskoka are now within reach. I’m proud we delivered on this promise and grateful to everyone who made it possible.”
Katherine Craine, CEO of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, also reinforces how essential community support has been with 2,460 donations from residents, businesses and community groups from South River to Orillia and Haliburton to Parry Sound in only three years.
“We are forever grateful for the investment you’ve made in healthcare, here,” says Craine. “We are really fortunate to live in a region that is so incredibly supportive of healthcare and our hospital.”
