QEII Foundation donors and BMO Ride for Cancer participants and supporters complete $4 million in funding for this innovative approach
An MRI scan can be a critical step in a healthcare journey. It can help diagnose, plan treatment, and determine whether that treatment is working. Involved in almost every area of clinical medicine, the demand for MRIs is great.
The QEII Foundation saw an opportunity to help with the MRI wait list and increase access to care. With hospital space limited, and costly to renovate, we worked with our partners at Nova Scotia Health to think differently – to think outside the traditional hospital walls for a solution.
The relocatable MRI is a self-contained diagnostic suite that is connected to, but outside the walls, of the Bayers Lake Outpatient Centre. A first for Nova Scotia, it is designed with patients top of mind, offering a bright, modern, and well-equipped experience. And a bonus, it can be moved anywhere in the province to support the greatest need.
Foundation donors and BMO Ride for Cancer participants and supporters got behind this innovative solution, by collectively providing $4 million in funding, including a lead gift from the J&W Murphy Foundation.
As part of the QEII Foundation’s We Are $100-million campaign, the relocatable MRI shows how donor support can quickly translate into greater access to care for Nova Scotians.
The impact is already clear. Before the relocatable MRI was available, some patients could wait roughly two years for non-urgent exams; now, some are waiting only one month. Since the unit began scanning patients in July 2024, more than 8,770 patients have received an MRI there—most for non-urgent, non-contrast exams such as brain, spine and prostate imaging, as well as musculoskeletal imaging of the knee, hip and shoulder.
By completing these non-urgent exams outside the walls of the hospital, the relocatable MRI reduces demand on the QEII, Nova Scotia’s major specialty centre for services such as cancer care and heart health. Moving routine outpatient imaging to the unit creates more capacity for timely assessment and treatment planning for critical-care patients.
As the relocatable MRI’s capabilities continue to grow, so will its impact. Together, donors and community supporters are helping turn bold thinking into faster access, shorter waits and better care for patients across Nova Scotia.
