MRI project ‘breaks ground’ at Erie Shores Health Care

While the official ground-breaking for the Erie Shores HealthCare (ESHC) new MRI suite was actually a wall-breaking, the action nevertheless kick-started the project and got the ball rolling toward the much-needed facility’s completion.

On Tuesday, February 13, hospital officials met with representatives of the Iacobelli family, who were on hand to announce a $1 million donation to the project.

“Today marks a pivotal moment for Erie Shores HealthCare,” said ESHC President and CEO Kristin Kennedy. “For too long, the residents of Essex County have faced long wait times for diagnostics.”

“This initiative marks a significant milestone in our ongoing journey to provide comprehensive, state-of-the-art healthcare services,” she added. “The addition of the MRI Suite at Erie Shores HealthCare is a testament to our unwavering commitment to the community, ensuring access to critical diagnostic services right here at home.

Kennedy said that there are currently wait times of up to 380 days for non-priority MRI imaging across the region — a number that she says will improve once the suite here is up and running.

They expect to be able to do 1,000 to 1,500 MRIs a year at Erie Shores, which will also lighten the burden on other area hospitals in Windsor, Chatham and Sarnia.

Penny Bellhouse, Executive Director of the Erie Shores Health Foundation, was grateful to the Iacobelli family and also to the community as a whole, who have also been generous so far.

“The extraordinary generosity of Unico, Primo Foods and the Iacobelli family serves as a beacon of hope for our community,” she said. “The gift lays the foundation for bringing this project to fruition.”

Bellhouse and Kennedy then donned hard hats along with Mathew Iacobelli and Sandra Macera — both representing the Iacobelli family — as they picked up sledge hammers for symbolic swings at a wall that will come down during construction.

“From a community perspective, it’s nice to see the hospital doing these things,” said Iacobelli. “The community needs this hospital — we see that day in and day out.”

“Mom and dad are always happy to give back to the community,” added Macera, the daughter of Lina and Henry Iacobelli — Mathew’s grandparents.

The new MRI suite is expected to be complete by the end of 2024, while ESHC is bringing in a temporary mobile MRI unit that will be set up on hospital property this spring. It’s expected to be operational by May.

The MRI equipment purchase and facility upgrade are a $5 million commitment by the hospital to provide diagnostic imaging to a region of about 150,000 residents.

That $5 million — of which they’ve raised about $2 million — will solely be funded by the generosity of the community.

The $850,000 operating costs annually for the MRI suite will be paid for by the Ontario government.