The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation is proud to announce the approval of over $6.6 million in funding for essential equipment at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. This funding was made possible through the generous contributions of our donors, event participants and proceeds from the incredible success of the Thunder Bay 50/50 draw. Departments throughout the Hospital applied for grants to acquire new equipment and upgrade essential tools, all aimed at enhancing the exceptional care provided to patients.
“We understand that the process of evaluating all the grant submissions is no small task,” says Donna Yocom, Grant Committee Member. “Our Committee diligently reviews each request, prioritizing the most pressing needs to ensure the greatest impact on patient care. While we wish we could approve every submission, funding limitations make that challenging. However, thanks to the generosity of our amazing donors, event participants and the success of our 50/50 draw, we’ve been able to approve more grants than ever before.”
In the past five years, over $27 million in funding has been granted to the Hospital. This year, a total of 36 grants were approved for funding ranging from $7,000 to over $750,000. Some of these items include:
- $500,000 to install a new linear accelerator to enhance cancer treatment.
- $500,000 for a new Cardiovascular Imaging System, vital for timely diagnoses.
- $434,034 for trauma care equipment impacting the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit, Operating Room, and Labour & Delivery.
- $271,418 for orthopaedic equipment to meet the growing demand for surgeries.
- $238,300 to replace outdated or unsafe equipment in NICU, Paediatrics, Labour & Delivery, and Maternal Newborn.
In addition to these key items, $1,583,020 was funded to support essential equipment and upgrades in Diagnostic Imaging. Some of these items included:
- 1.5T MRI Scanner Upgrade: Accounting for 45% of the workload in the department, this upgrade is essential to maintain consistent, quality care for patients who require MRI diagnostics.
- SPECT Camera Replacement for Nuclear Medicine: As the only Nuclear Medicine Department between Winnipeg and Sault Ste. Marie, this upgrade will enhance image quality and efficiency for the 5-10 patients imaged daily during procedures like bone scans and gastric emptying studies, better improving overall patient comfort.
- Drager Fabius MRI Compatible Anesthesia Machine: This new state-of-the-art equipment will enable safe sedation for adults and children undergoing MRI scans requiring anesthesia. Currently, patients may experience longer than average wait times for sedated MRI scans to ensure that the resources required are available. These longer wait times can force patients to travel to Southern Ontario. This upgrade will improve patient care and reduce travel.
“Our MRI department is extremely busy, serving approximately 16,000 patients each year and performing over 3,500 scans monthly,” says Kati Tuomi, Manager, Diagnostic Imaging. “These investments in state-of-the-art equipment and technology will significantly improve our diagnostic services and allow our patients to access tests close to home.”
The grants support not only our local community but also regional areas, as our programs reach other hospitals across Northwestern Ontario. Funding has been approved for cancer program equipment in Terrace Bay, Fort Frances, and Kenora.
“The grants established by the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation enable our Hospital to be more responsive to the needs of patients and families in Northwestern Ontario, said Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, President and CEO of Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and CEO of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute. “The incredible generosity of our donors and the continuing work of the Foundation demonstrates our community’s commitment to enhancing care and supporting our Hospital’s vision of Exceptional care for every patient, every time.”
For a complete list of approved grants, please see the attached PDF.