Mary Feldskov Healthcare, close to home An MRI machine is coming to Palmerston ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER RURAL LIVING 28 “It would be nice to come to Palmerston at 4 o’clock in the afternoon instead,” says Leslie, who co-chairs the community fundraising campaign. “Our region is the most underserved area in Ontario,” says Leslie’s co-chair, Dan Hill, president and CEO of Germania Mutual Insurance Company. “The value of having quality healthcare close to home is so important.” REGIONAL IMPACT “Palmerston is in the middle of what I call the black hole of MRI services in southwestern Ontario,” says North Wellington Health Care CEO Angela Stanley. “Most of our patients have to travel upwards of an hour or more to get an MRI, and if we have one that’s centrally located, it serves a vast majority of communities.” While the Ontario government’s 2022 announcement granting the Palmerston Hospital an MRI machine was welcomed by the community, it also presented a huge challenge: raising the funds necessary to purchase, install, and maintain the equipment. That’s because provincial funding only supports the staffing and operation of hospitals; community support is necessary to fund essential equipment. The MRI machine itself is estimated to cost $2.5 million, with renovations to the hospital and the training and education of staff making up the balance of the estimated project cost of $8 million. Mark Leslie, owner of Leslie Motors Ltd. in Harriston, Wingham, and Walkerton, recalls travelling from his home in Minto Township to Guelph at 3 a.m. for an MRI—a trip that local residents won’t have to make in the near future once an $8 million project to fund an MRI machine at the Palmerston & District Hospital comes to fruition. By far, the MRI capital campaign is the largest campaign that the community has ever had to fund, says Dale Franklin, development officer with the Palmerston and District Hospital Foundation. She is working with a committee of more than 20 local residents who are championing the campaign, soliciting support from local businesses, industries, service groups, individuals, and memorial gifts. The fundraising campaign, which officially launched in early 2024, aims to raise the $8 million needed for the project by 2027, with donors pledging committed funds over a period of up to five years. “Looking at the $8 million as a whole, that’s pretty overwhelming to me,” says Franklin— but she’s confident that the generosity of the broader community will help the foundation meet its goal. Crosby Devitt, CEO, Jeff Harrison, chair, and Steve Lake, director of District 10, present a cheque to the Palmerston and District Hospital Foundation staff Dale Franklin and volunteer Danielle Schill.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTQzODE4