ESTEVAN - The St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation has cleared another milestone as it continues to raise funds for the new MRI scanner at the hospital.
The campaign, named Together We Can: MRI for Estevan, has cleared the $4 million mark, according to the latest updated total posted on the foundation's website. The tally stands at $4,015,286, which is 62 per cent of the $6.5 million goal.
The amount of money raised includes the $2 million pledged by Elaine Walkom of Estevan, whose donation in memory of her late husband Grant kick-started the effort to bring an MRI to Estevan.
The Government of Saskatchewan gave the hospital foundation the green light in March's provincial budget to officially start fundraising for the MRI scanner, so it took a little more than five months for the campaign to eclipse the $4 million threshold.
Not only will the $6.5 million be needed to fund the purchase and installation of a new MRI scanner and cover the cost of staff training, it would also pay for the cost of renovating the diagnostic imaging centre where the scanner would be located.
Once the scanner is in place, it is expected to not only provide a service closer to home for southeast residents, but it is also to reduce wait times for MRI services throughout the province.
The foundation has been receiving support from throughout the southeast region in the past five months.
People can donate online at any time at sjhf.org, send an e-transfer to [email protected], call the office at 306-637-2474 or stop by to make an in-person donation. Tax receipts are issued for all donations.
