In a remarkable act of philanthropy, an anonymous donor has contributed $1 million to enhance MRI services at the Saint John Regional Hospital in New Brunswick. This donation, aimed at reducing the lengthy wait times for patients, will facilitate increased staffing and the expansion of services, thereby improving patient experiences significantly.

The Saint John Regional Hospital (SJRH) Foundation is a charity focused on funding healthcare initiatives in the region. Shannon Hunter, President and CEO of the foundation, expressed deep gratitude for the donation. According to Hunter, the donor was motivated by personal experiences with MRI delays and entrusted the foundation with the flexible use of the funds to best address the issue.

Currently, the average wait for a non-emergency MRI in the region had ballooned to a staggering 369 days. With this generous donation, a comprehensive plan has been created to ensure that healthcare is delivered to people in a timely manner. Some of the initiatives planned to improve services in the region through use of the donated amount are:

– Hiring four full-time technologists in the Saint John, Moncton, Fredericton, and Miramichi regions that can operate 24/7.

– MRI training to eight additional employees with three-year employment service agreements.

– Acquisition of a cutting-edge requisition management solution system to centralize and sort all medical imaging requests that will guide patients to locations with the lowest wait times

These measures are expected to drop MRI wait times by a staggering 75% by 2026. “This remarkable act of generosity underscores the transformative power of philanthropy in healthcare,” Hunter said in a statement.