Community Update

“Where ServiceIs Our

Commitmentto Excellence”

519-273-4564SHOWROOM: 380 LORNE AVE., STRATFORD

Proudly SupportingOur Community for aBetter Tomorrow

125 Ontario St., Stratford519-271-7581

More thanjust a drugstore.

1-211 Ontario St., Stratford519-271-8600

GERALD E. FRANCISAgent

186A Ontario StreetStratford, Ontario N5A 3H6

Bus. 519 271-7175Fax. 519 271-7193

STATE FARMINSURANCE COMPANIESCANADIAN HEAD OFFICES: SCARBOROUGH, ONTARIO

11 HURON STREETMITCHELL, ON519-348-8481

CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP DEALER

519-271-2220Because We Care

A heartfeltthanks to ourdonors

Andrea Page,Executive Director272-8210 ext. 2627

GarySchellenberger,MPPerth-Wellington

Stratford: 273-1400

www.schellengerger.ca

Remedy’sRx™

The Local Drug Store

West End Pharmacy

150 Huron St., Stratford

519-273-7200FREE DELIVERY!

No ChargeDelivery ofMedications

Jenny Trout Centre519-272-0888

Seniors Discount Everyday:10% Off* Regular Prices

*does not apply to prescription medication

342 Erie St.(at WestGore)

Avon FamilyMedicineCentre

TavistockCommunityHealth Inc.

O’LoaneMedicalBuilding

Just picture how an MRI could

Make a Real Impacton your life…

• Quicker, easier access to

life-saving technology

• It’s the most effective tool we have

to help diagnose a multitude of dis-

eases and conditions

• Reduced waiting times for scans,

with no need to travel to London,

Owen Sound or other locations

• Ability to scan pediatric patients

• “Large Bore” design provides extra

space to accommodate

larger patients, those with

physical challenges or

claustrophobia

• Ability to attract new physicians,

technicians and other healthcare

professionals to our region

The countdown to MRI has begunIt’s what we all want for Christmas . . . the gift of health

Farmers make a real impact A time to remember

RandyPettapiece, MPPPerth-Wellington519-272-06601-800-461-9701

November is a time to remember our veterans and what is importantto our communities. Poppy Chair and 1st VP, Ken Albert (left) andPresident, Jim Millar of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch # 8 wereon hand to present a cheque for $5,000 from the Poppy Fund to JeffKerk, Program Director of Medical Imaging/MRI Project Lead. Thefunds will make a real impact on access to an MRI for veterans and thecommunity at large.

There are over 2800 farms in our local catchment area. Also, 90% of the land in Perth County isclassified as prime agricultural land. Farm life can have itsmany dangers and potential injuries. Johnand Nellie Van den Hoven wanted to send a message that they know how important anMRI is to therural communities and that theyhope their giftwill encourageother farmers to support this life savingtechnology too.Their tremendousdonationof $50,000will name theMRIPatient PreparationRoom.

The patient prep roomwill contain a stretcherand IV for patients.About 30 percent ofpatients will require aspecial injected contrastmedium which givesclearer images of certainparts of the body, helpingradiologists interpret thescan more accurately.We can never saythank you enough toJohn and Nellie Vanden Hoven for theirgenerous commitment tohealthcare!

It’s perhaps the single most important piece of life-saving diag-nostic equipment in a modern day acute care hospital. There’s nodoubt that in the years ahead it will touch the lives of thousands ofpeople throughout our region—your friends, neighbors, even yourfamily.And we’re about to get one!The MRI is set to arrive at Stratford General Hospital on Decem-

ber 6th—just in time for Christmas. What’s more, the MRI will be

patient-ready by early January, giving people from Stratford,Huron, Perth and beyond quicker, easier access, to this tre-mendous life changing/life saving technology, when they needit most.Construction of the MRI suite is progressing rapidly—two

weeks ahead of schedule in fact. Various rooms of the MRIsuite—including the Control Room, Patient Interview Roomand Patient Prep room—have recently been wired, inspected,and dry walled as the December 6th arrival date draws closer.But perhaps the most eye-catching construction feature in

the past month is the gleaming copper sheeting that covers thewalls, ceiling and floor of the “Magnet or Exam Room” wherethe MRI will reside.“It’s a very large magnet—much stronger than those mag-

nets that pick up cars in the junk yard”, explains Jeff Kerk,program director, Medical Imaging. “Copper acts as a filter,ensuring the MRI’s magnetic field or Radio Frequency staysinside the Magnet Room and doesn’t affect anyone in thesurrounding area.”All wiring for the MRI—which must itself be insulated

against the effects of the magnet—passes through a small holethat’s specially constructed in the copper shielding. Anotherinteresting feature is the external wall that will actually beknocked out to allow the 7-ton MRI to be hoisted into itsresting place.While it will be weeks before patients see the inside of the

MRI, staff—including two new full time x-ray technicians andtwo new full time radiologists—will be busy testing the mag-net, getting new protocols in place, pouring over manuals andfamiliarizing themselves with the complex, new technology.“We’ve already gone to some of the ‘gold standard’ MRI

hospital sites in Ontario and we’ll implement a number of theirbest qualities into our service,” explains Jeff. “We’re tremen-dously excited, and we’re going to have a very solid MRI pro-gram.”Celebrations are planned to mark the arrival of the MRI on

Dec. 6th. The MRI will arrive by truck at Stratford City Hallwhere the celebration will kick-off with speeches, refresh-ments and announcements. A parade, led by Santa, will weaveits way to the Hospital where the 7-ton machine will be hoistedup by crane and maneuvered into place. In about a month afterthat, the MRI will be patient ready.“We’re tremendously excited by the MRI’s arrival,” saysAn-

drea Page, Executive Director of the Stratford General Hospi-tal Foundation. “We hope everyone will join us to celebratethis healthcare milestone for our community and region.”

L to R: Andrea Page, Executive Director SGHF; Nellie and John Van den Hoven;Andrew Williams, CEO HPHA.

All the wiring for theMRI runs through thisspecial cut-out in thecopper sheathing.All cables must alsobe specially protectedto ensure the MRI’sstrong magnetic fielddoes not affect theirfunction. Jeff Kerk isstanding on the farside of this cut-out,in the actual MRIMagnet room itself.

MRI Construction Update

EVERYONE IS INVITED

MRIMRIPARADE &PARADE &

CELEBRATIONCELEBRATION

December 6th, 2011The MRI arrives on a flatbed truck at Stratford City Hall

Join us for a celebration from 9am-9:30am at City Hall

Help us parade the MRI toStratford General Hospital 9:30 am – 10 am

Watch the Crane on a big screen in SGH’s conference room - hot cider & cookies

13,300 reasons to SMILE. Community support never tasted so good!Tim Hortons annual Smile Cookie fundraiser was a sweet success, raising $13,300 for the StratfordGeneral Hospital Foundation’s Heart & Soul and the MRI Make a Real Impact campaigns. Exactly13,300 of the special chocolate chunk cookies were sold between September 19-25 at Tim Hortonslocations in Stratford. L to R; Andrew Williams - HPHA CEO; Mark and Cheryl Moore, Robbin Hewitt,Mat Cooper - Tim Hortons; Andrea Page - SGH Foundation ED and Debbie Reece, SGH FoundationBoard Chair.

Derek McTaggertfrom R & D Electric,roughing in thermostatwiring in the equipmentroom. Each room hasindividual thermostatcontrols for comfort.

Framing the window in the Magnetor Exam Room. This window allowstechnicians and Radiologists tovisually monitor patients as theyundergo a scan - typically 30minutes for a regular procedure and45 minutes for a procedure that usesan injected contrast. Similar to thecontrast used for CT procedures,this process helps produce clearerimages for certain MRI scans.Note the copper strip around thewindow, used to help contain themagnetic field within the Examor Magnet Room.

Jeff Kerk, program director, Medical Imaging,gets a close look at the copper flooring of theMagnet or Exam Room. Similar coppersheathing will cover the walls and ceiling also,containing the magnetic field within. Due to thestrong magnetic field, patients are screened toensure they have no metal in their bodies thatisn’t supposed to be there, ensuring items likepacemakers and joint replacements will poseno threat to patients or the MRI itself.

Jeff Kerk, program directorof Medical Imaging andJeremy Wilcocks,supervisor, Gibbs andWilson GeneralContracting, look overblueprints in the Magnetor Exam Room. The roomcontains a special externalwall that will be removed toallow the MRI to be hoistedinto place. The room is alsosheathed in copper to helpcontain the magnetic orRF field.

Tyler Stephenson fromETS Lindgren, grinds thecopper coated door thatleads to the MRI Magnetor Exam Room.A properfit is essential.

Jeff Kerk, program director, MedicalImaging examines blueprints in thepatient interview room. This is wherepatients are interviewed, ensuringthey’ve filled out a safety questionnaire tomake certain there’s no unexpected metalin the patient’s body. Any last minutequestions and concerns from patientscan also be addressed.

Jeff Kerk,gets a cloMagnet osheathing

Mitch Vermeiren from PLCMechanical works on steamlines that will help provideheat and the right amount ofhumidity in the MRI suite,ensuring comfort for all.

Wiring the switches and lightingfor the Control Room. The ControlRoom is where MRI techniciansand Radiologists can monitorpatients and control the MRI’sfunctions. Special software calleda Leonardo system, will allow oneset of images from a patient to bemanipulated and reconstructed tocreate numerous different images.