Ontario Expanding Access to Diagnostic Imaging in Kitchener
Waterloo Region’s first-ever PET scanner at Grand River Hospital will connect more people to diagnostic services sooner
NEWS
January 24th, 2025
KITCHENER — The Ontario government is improving access to diagnostic imaging services by introducing the first- ever positron emission tomography (PET) scanner at Grand River Hospital. This new addition will significantly less wait times and make advanced diagnostic services more accessible to the residents of Waterloo- Wellington, allowing them to receive care closer to home.
“Thanks to this investment, the people of Kitchener-Conestoga will benefit from state-of-the-art diagnostic tools right in our backyard,” said Mike Harris, MPP Kitchener-Conestoga. “The new PET scanner at Grand River Hospital will greatly reduce the need for travel and provide quicker access to essential health services, enhancing care for patients throughout our community.”
Jess Dixon, MPP of Kitchener South- Hespeler said, “The addition of a PET scanner at Kitchener’s Grand River Hospital is fantastic news for families in Waterloo Region and Wellington County. Accessing this critical diagnostic imaging closer to home will mean faster diagnoses, quicker treatments, and less travel for patients and their loved ones. This investment ensures more convenient access to the care people need, right here in our community.” This investment will fund the renovation and expansion of space at Grand River Hospital to accommodate the Region’s first-ever PET scanner. This enhancement will bolster the integrated Medical Imaging Program at both St. Mary’s General Hospital and Grand River Hospital, supporting diagnostic services and treatments for cardiology and oncology patients. The new PET scanner will provide more timely access to high-quality care, eliminating the need for patients and their families to travel to Mississauga or Hamilton for specialized diagnostic services. As a result, patients will benefit from quicker diagnoses and faster treatment initiation. Through Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the Ontario government is expanding and modernizing Ontario’s hospitals, making it faster and easier for people of all ages to connect to the high-quality care they need, where and when they need it.
QUICK FACTS
• Grand River Hospital is a community teaching hospital and is the largest health service provider in Waterloo Region and Guelph-Wellington that provides regional care services.
• A positron emission tomography (PET) scan is a medical imaging procedure that uses a radioactive tracer to create images of internal organs. It can be used to diagnose cancer, see if it has spread, or if treatment is working. It can also be used to examine the function of the heart or brain.
• Over the next 10 years, Ontario’s investments will lead to nearly $50 billion in health infrastructure across the province, building 3,000 new beds in addition to over 3,500 critical care, acute and post-acute beds the government has added since 2020.
• Through Your Health, Ontario is getting shovels in the ground for over 50 hospital developments across the province.
• The province is continuing to grow the health care workforce adding a historic number of new nurses and laboratory technologists through the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant, As of Right rules and the 700 additional education seats for medical radiation and imaging technologists, medical laboratory technologists, medical lab technicians and medical radiation extenders announced in the 2024 budget.
• The Ontario government is investing more than $228 million this year to support critical infrastructure upgrades and repairs at 129 hospitals and 58 community health care facilities across the province, a 10 per cent increase from last year. In 2024-25, Grand River Hospital received a total allocation of $1,520,074 through the Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund program.
• Over the next 10 years, Ontario’s investments will lead to nearly $50 billion in health infrastructure across the province, building 3,000 new beds in addition to over 3,500 critical care, acute and post-acute beds our government has added since 2020.
• Through the Your Health Plan, Ontario is getting shovels in the ground for over 50 hospital developments across the province.
• This includes building a new, state-of-the-art hospital in the Waterloo Region and supporting a new Cardiac Catheterization Lab at St. Mary’s Hospital.
QUOTES
“As evidenced through our longstanding partnership and pending merger, Grand River Hospital and St. Mary’s General Hospital’s are committed to working collaboratively to provide patients in Waterloo-Wellington the right care, in the right place, at the right time. The Ministry’s investment of a PET scanner not only greatly enhances our Hospitals’ diagnostic capabilities, it ensures patients have access to the highest standard of care close to home. Our Hospitals’ are home to numerous regional programs and specialties, and are leaders in providing oncology and cardiac care. The Region of Waterloo is one of the fastest growing regions in Ontario, with an expected population of 1 Million by 2050. This champion investment not only addresses wait times and system pressures across the public health system, it also further equips local expertise and improves patient experiences and outcomes. On behalf of all the patients who will benefit from this technology, thank you to the Ministry of Health for investing in a lasting impact on the health and wellbeing of the communities we serve.” Ron Gagnon, President & CEO, Grand River Hospital
“For nearly 100 years, our Hospitals’ teams have partnered to provide exceptional patient-centred health care. Today’s announcement of the Ministry’s investment of the Region’s first PET scanner reaches far beyond the walls of Grand River Hospital, and into the lives of patients across Waterloo-Wellington and beyond. Thank you, to the Ministry of Health, for investing in healthcare in Waterloo-Wellington.” Gary Higgs, Interim President, St. Mary’s General Hospital
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
• Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care