Town of Ajax donates $500,000 towards Rouge Valley MRI

The Town of Ajax continues to contribute to the health of Ajax residents with a generous donation to the Rouge Valley Ajax and Pickering hospital. At its January 24 Council meeting, the Town announced a $500,000 contribution to help the hospital take a big step closer to bringing an MRI to the community. Dr. Romas Stas, Associate Chief of Staff and Dr. Mark Prieditis, radiologist, dlivered a presentation outlining the need for the state-of-the-art machine and the benefits to Ajax. Councillor Pat Brown brought forth a resolution to make the donation to support the campaign and Regional Councillor Shaun Collier seconded the motion.

The Rouge Valley Health System (RVHS) Ajax and Pickering hospital, which has provided the local community with essential health-care services since 1954, is completing a substantial redevelopment that includes a state-of-the-art Diagnostic Imaging Centre. The hospital does not have a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner, resulting in local patients experiencing an MRI wait time four times longer than the provincial target of 28 days. That wait time is only expected to increase further in the years ahead, based on estimated growth and aging of the local population.

“The Town of Ajax is committed to taking care of its growing population, and we’re pleased to continue contributing to the vital services the hospital provides,” says Mayor Steve Parish. “The purchase of an MRI will enhance the quality of care for patients in Ajax by reducing both the waiting list and the need for residents to travel out of our community to gain access to this necessary piece of medical equipment.”

In order to assist the hospital’s Image is Everything Campaign in reaching its MRI fundraising goal, the Town of Ajax has committed $500,000, in equal installments of $125,000 per year over a four-year period beginning in 2011, with funding to be sourced from the Ajax Downs Slot revenues.

On behalf of the volunteers of the Image is Everything Campaign, Chair Lucy Stocco expresses her great appreciation to the Town of Ajax for supporting the effort to bring leading-edge, health-care equipment to the community. “We are very excited to receive this commitment,” says Ms. Stocco. “So many people in Ajax have already shown their support for the campaign, both financially and in volunteer activities. Through this gift, the Town has shown it shares the desire of residents to have access to the best health care possible close to home.”