In May of this year, St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital launched the Transforming Tomorrow Campaign, a new fundraising campaign because “Our community deserves access to the best possible care right around the corner, not in the next city over.”
That was the assertion of Jeff Yurek, chair of the campaign with a goal of $8 million to acquire a state-of-the-art MRI to be housed at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital.
And on Tuesday afternoon (Oct. 1), Yurek officially opened the MRI suite at STEGH.
In the process, calling it “a milestone day.”
The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place just two months after the arrival of the MRI.
The highly advanced scanner employs powerful magnets and radio waves to produce detailed 3D images of internal organs and structures.
This will allow the hospital’s medical team to diagnose health conditions more accurately, detect diseases earlier, and monitor treatment progress more precisely.
“It’s a very, very exciting day,” enthused Yurek. “It’s a milestone day, we’re celebrating the grand opening of the first-ever MRI here in St. Thomas and Elgin county.”
The event marks the beginning of a new era for healthcare in St. Thomas and Elgin, added hospital President & CEO Karen Davies.
She noted the MRI will have an immediate impact on thousands of residents.
“It’s not just about getting better technology and digitization of what is happening here, but thousands of people no longer have to travel outside of Elgin county to have an MRI.
“They won’t have to go to Chatham or Sarnia or London. They can stay right here and have it at this hospital.”
Davis continued, “This investment in technology is a testament to our commitment to delivering exceptional patient care.”
She pointed out that the addition of the highly advanced MRI scanner is pivotal for the future of healthcare in St. Thomas and Elgin.
“What an exciting day. Many of us in this room have been waiting years for this day to be able to say the MRI is here, it’s open and it’s functioning.
“And we’re celebrating not just that the MRI is here, but it is the first MRI in Elgin county and you’re going to keep hearing us saying that because it is a big deal.”
Fundraising for the MRI suite was undertaken by the St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital Foundation with a goal of $8 million, with 94 per cent of that target reached so far.
Yurek pointed out, “We also want to announce we are up to 75 per cent of the $1-million matching grants so far from the FDC Foundation. Another $250,000 to match and we’ll add $500,000 to our campaign, which should take us over the top.”
“Because the MRI and the healthcare that is needed here in the community is going to be so much enhanced with the professional doctors, the nurses and technicians and all the staff here at STEGH, which makes our community the best placed to live in Ontario.”
Davies applauded the fundraising efforts of the foundation and the community at large.
“It’s a new beginning for healthcare in our county, having the MRI here and it might sound like it’s 2024, why are we so excited?
“Well, we are excited. It’s long overdue for us to have this and I want to thank the (hospital) foundation for all of their efforts in helping us to raise this money.”
“It’s a big milestone and I am excited to have all of you here together as we continue on our journey to modernize healthcare.”
Mary Lou Crowley, President & CEO of the St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital Foundation enthused, “Our community’s passion and commitment for advancing local health care never ceases to amaze me. Every donation, large or small, has helped bring this advanced technology to STEGH, ensuring better care for our families, friends, and neighbours.”
The hospital has an operating budget from the province for 2,080 hours of use at this time.
For the immediate future, the MRI suite will operate Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., once fully operational.
Some weekend service from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. will likely come into play before the end of the year.
Referrals for MRI services must be made by a healthcare provider.
For more information on STEGH’s MRI services, visit https://www.stegh.on.ca/hospital-services/diagnostic-imaging/magnetic-resonance-imaging-mri/ or contact your healthcare provider.
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THERAPY POOL A DRAIN ON HOSPITAL FINANCES
Continuing with the hospital, in early July of this year, a failure in the therapy pool system caused the flooding of adjacent, critical areas, resulting in severe infrastructure damage.
The pool was installed in the hospital’s south building in 1990, one of the only therapy pools in Elgin county.
These pools are designed specifically for aquatic therapy and hydrotherapy. The warm temperature of the water helps to increase blood flow and relax muscles.
In recent years, the pool has been rented out to Talbot Trail Physiotherapy and hasn’t been used by STEGH for some time.
Following the flooding incident, the pool was drained, and the hospital called upon a third-party mechanical engineer to assess the damage.
The report indicated the infrastructure supporting the pool would require approximately $350,000 to repair, and even with these repairs, the risk of another flood cannot be eliminated due to the age and condition of the pool.
“If a great group of people came together on a huge project to save the therapeutic pool, we would certainly listen.”
The constant exposure to chlorinated water has caused accelerated degradation of equipment, including damage to electrical systems in adjacent areas.
St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital and Talbot Trail Physiotherapy apologized for the delay in communication and announced a decision has been made to close the pool.
The closure will be discussed by city council at Monday’s (Oct. 7) meeting and we spoke with Mayor Joe Preston, who suggests this is beyond the hospital’s scope to repair.
“We support our local hospital being everything it can be and that therapeutic pool has been there for a while, and I know Chris (Chris Streib of Talbot Trail Physiotherapy) and his company has run it for the last decade or longer.
“We’re a better city when we have a hospital that has great things, but it sure sounds like this one is beyond the ability of the hospital to carry it and repair it.”
Preston went on to explain why the pool closure is appearing on the agenda for Monday’s meeting.
“It’s on our agenda to discuss, because many people don’t understand that the city does not control the hospital spending.
“We help, we meet, we talk about growth, we share with them our plans a lot, but this is a decision (to close the pool) by a board of directors at the hospital.”
We asked Preston whether the city would entertain a fundraising proposal from the community to cover the expense of pool repairs.
“If a great group of people came together on a huge project to save the therapeutic pool, we would certainly listen.
“We would like it to be there, but we don’t know what our role would be. It’s truly up to the hospital, not the city.”
Both the hospital and Talbot Trail Physiotherapy concede while the therapy pool was a valuable privilege in the community of St. Thomas, safe hospital operations take priority.
“The decision to leave the pool empty was not made lightly, but was necessary to ensure both fiscal accountability and continued safe operations at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital,” advises correspondence released by STEGH and Talbot Trail Physiotherapy staff.
“The risk of a recurring leak in the mechanical room is too high and the decision to not refill the pool is made prioritizing safe operations and to ensure the highest standards of patient care within our community.”
APPROVAL FOR THE INN’S FUNDING REQUEST
At the Sept. 9 meeting of city council, members considered a request from The Inn – the city’s emergency shelter – for a one-time investment of $195,000 to assist with operational costs.
Additionally, the facility is seeking an ongoing financial contribution from the city beginning next year “that addresses its longer-term needs” until no longer required.
At the meeting Coun. Steve Wookey noted, “. . . this is a real asset to our city and we have not really had to do much for this.
“This has been run by a wonderful group and they need our support. It would be a disservice to all the good things that are happening if we didn’t do this.
“There is quite a bit of merit to this (funding request).”
Coun. Steve Peters wondered if a request had been made to the County of Elgin, “because I would assume . . . that the users of The Inn, I can’t believe that all these individuals would be strictly from the City of St. Thomas.”
In response, Danielle Neilson, Manager of Housing Stability Services advised, “For this particular one-time assistance I can confirm there has not been a request to the county.
“At this time, we are in a cost-sharing arrangement with the county for all social service provisions, so there is an ongoing contribution from them.
“I’ve used this term a couple of times before, but we really, really need The Inn to be a good neighbour. This location has caused some challenges downtown.”
“We can certainly look at your question and have a conversation with the county and that should absolutely be considered when we look at potentially putting a request before council for an ongoing contribution.”
Coun. Peters also pointed to the fact the province provides funding to support programs “and then they back off and we have nowhere to go other than to support the program or we watch it collapse.”
He concluded, “If we’re going to do this, we need some help from The Inn. I’ve had more complaints this summer about shopping carts, alleyways full of individuals, and stuff being left around.
“I’ve used this term a couple of times before, but we really, really need The Inn to be a good neighbour. This location has caused some challenges downtown.”
Neilson countered with the observation The Inn is a good partner “and they require the support of us and the municipality and surrounding community partners to ensure that the needs of the folks are being met in a way that helps to mitigate those challenges.”
The request by The Inn for additional ongoing financial support will be part of the city’s 2025 budget deliberations.
Council did request a comprehensive report ahead of those discussions which would include a long-term outlook for The Inn.
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FOR THE CALENDAR
This year’s Light Up Talbot Street celebration is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 15 in front of city hall. The event will include horse and wagon rides and live farm animals for a nativity scene.
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And a reminder, I can be heard weekday afternoons as news anchor and reporter on 94.1 myFM in St. Thomas. As always, your comments and input are appreciated.
