Bringing Care Closer to Home: Weeneebayko General Hospital Receives Portable MRI Machine

Last month, Weeneebayko General Hospital received an exciting addition to the site- a brand new Hyperfine™ Portable MRI Machine!

This machine was brought to WGH through a partnership between Weeneebayko Area Health Authority, Queen’s University, Kingston Health Sciences Centre and Hyperfine. This project will bring health care closer to home, reduce the need for community members to travel out of region for MRI services, improve patient triaging and allow clinicians to perform re-imaging without the risk of radiation exposure.

Prior to this project, WGH did not have an MRI machine on-site and clients requiring MRI services had to be transported South to receive care. Until very recently, the technology for portable MRI machines did not exist. We feel very fortunate to have such cutting-edge technology available to clients in the region, being that this machine is one of only two machines in the entire country!

“The mission and vision of the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority is to provide care as close to home as possible and the Hyperfine MRI project is another big step in that direction.” – Dr. Elaine Innes, WAHA Chief of Staff

Gitchi meegwetch to all the individuals who made this project possible. We are excited to witness the benefits of this project as we continue to strive for providing the best health care possible for community members all around the James and Hudson Bay Area.

A special thanks to Neuroradiologist, Dr. Islam and Project Coordinator, Chloe Des Roche from Queen’s University for their major contributions on this project. In fact, we were lucky enough to have them on our radio show, WAHA on Wawatay, to discuss the project and their involvement. Listen here to learn more: https://www.waha.ca/wawatay-interviews/

To learn more about the Hyperfine Portable MRI System, visit: https://hyperfine.io/

Meegwetch,

Weeneebayko Area Health Authority