With the support of donors, the QEII Foundation is funding a mobile MRI that will increase access to care for patients. UNCHARTED MEDIA
As Nova Scotia’s largest and most specialized hospital, the QEII Health Sciences Centre cares for patients from across the province, extending care beyond Halifax. And now, with the support of QEII Foundation donors, the QEII is bringing care closer to home for patients, directly into communities where gaps in MRI access exist.
The QEII Foundation is raising funds for a mobile MRI. Set to arrive in 2025, it will help address MRI waitlists, scanning approximately 4,000 more patients annually.
“The QEII is Nova Scotia’s hospital. And that’s why we’re working with generous QEII Foundation donors to make it happen. This will be a provincial resource,” says Dr. James Clarke, a QEII radiologist and chief of diagnostic imaging for Nova Scotia Health’s Central Zone.
Taking a travel approach, the mobile MRI will move across the province to areas where the largest waitlists or lack of access to MRIs exist. From Cape Breton to Yarmouth, and communities in between, it’s an innovative approach to delivering care outside the traditional hospital setting.
“It’s a state-of the-art, brand new top-of-the-line unit which is going to be excellent for the needs of Nova Scotians. Each person who gets an appointment means one more person moves off the waitlist,” says Dr. Clarke.
Getting patients the answers they need
For many patients, they can’t have their medical condition diagnosed and treated until they have an MRI. The longer people wait, the poorer health outcomes they face like more intense therapy, more invasive surgery, lower quality of life, or a shorter life expectancy.
Dr. Clarke explains that patients with emergency or urgent needs, like a stroke, are the priority, but wait times become an issue for the semi-urgent and elective patients.
“People who have urgent needs we can get to quickly, within a day or two. But the non-urgent needs are where we are struggling. It’s not that these issues aren’t important, it’s that the ones that are life-limiting need to be prioritized.
“Waiting is very stressful for the patients,” he adds. “This is why we need more MRI access – to get patients the answers they need sooner.”
Increasing demand for MRIs
MRIs are in high demand because they offer some of the best diagnostic imaging tests to detect certain diseases and health conditions. While MRIs are used across many areas of medicine, their precision makes them most frequently used in neurology, oncology and musculoskeletal imaging to help physicians diagnose and treat patients.
“As the population of Nova Scotia grows and patients live longer, the number of types of things you might want an MR for is increasing and we don’t have the capacity in the current system for some elective outpatient MRI examinations,” says Dr. Clarke.
The mobile MRI is one part of the solution. In June 2024, a relocatable MRI arrived and is positioned outside of the Bayers Lake Community Outpatient Centre, as the first strategic location that is convenient for many Nova Scotians and where the greatest waitlist exists.
Bringing care closer to home
For some patients, needing to travel too far outside their own community can be difficult or in some cases, not possible.
“It's hard to get from Halifax to Truro to have an examination done or to get from Sydney to come to Halifax, and it's one of the advantages of having a mobile system that can actually go to the community and provide that service locally. You can roll that trailer up to the side of the hospital and start scanning within a couple of days.”
Raymond Jeffrey has travelled to the QEII from his home in St. Peter’s, Cape Breton to receive care. He knows the value of having care closer to home, especially for seniors like himself or people who may not have the means or support to travel.
“Having MRI services closer to home will help many people get their appointments sooner and reduce wait times. I’ve travelled to Halifax for care, but I’ve also been to Sydney and Antigonish, which are just an hour away from where I live. Care closer to home makes a difference, especially for seniors like me,” says Raymond.
“In my area, about 60 to 70 per cent of folks are seniors, and travelling can be difficult. The new Mobile MRI will be a great benefit and make a difference in people’s health outcomes.”
It's a sentiment Dr. Clarke agrees with, acknowledging the far-reaching impact a new mobile MRI unit will have.
“Anything that we can do to add capacity to the system is a benefit for all Nova Scotians. It’s better for the patients, better for the families, and it’s better for the communities.
To learn more or donate to this project, visit QE2Foundation.ca/mriaccess
