It’s Official: New MRI suite is open

The first patients won’t get to use it for another three weeks, but the Dartmouth General Hospital’s first MRI machine was officially unveiled Monday.

Sharon Hartling, the diagnostic imaging manager at the Dartmouth General said the plan was to operate the machine up to 16 hours a day, seven days a week.

“Expecting to scan 400 patients a month, 5,000 patients a year, and that’s a conservative estimate,” said Hartling.

“Those numbers are based on our current MRI scanners in the central zone, and this new scanner will be faster, so we’re hoping to exceed those targets.”

Premier Tim Houston used oversized scissors to cut a blue ribbon stretched across the imaging equipment, whose 12,000-kilogram magnet was delivered just before Christmas and lowered from the roof into a specially reinforced and isolated section of the hospital.

DGH’s first MRI is now fully funded!

Published on: Mar 22, 2021 at 18:38

The Dartmouth General Hospital Foundation is pleased to share that the first-ever MRI unit at Dartmouth General is now fully funded! We can’t thank the donors enough for supporting this much-needed piece of equipment.

THE BENEFITS OF A NEW MRI INCLUDE: 
• Quicker access to an MRI appointment for patients across the province
• MRI will include an orthopedic upgrade to enhance the care
in the Fred Smithers Centre for Orthopedic Care
• Decreased need to transport patients to the Halifax Infirmary
• Shorter time in starting treatment, lowering the risks of the
injuries becoming chronic and untreatable

This contribution will be matched by the Provinces $3.9 million donation, covering the cost of construction and operation. Click here to read the Province of Nova Scotia’s announcement.

This is another great example of the Government of Nova Scotia partnering with hospital foundations like ours to help change the lives of patients in HRM and beyond.

Construction has begun on the new MRI Space, and we are going to update you every step of the way! Stay tuned.