With more progress on the MRI project at St. Joseph's Hospital being made, they're thanking the community for all the work that's gone into raising the money needed. Over $5.2 million of the needed $6.5 million has been donated and raised through a variety of community donations and fundraisers across the southeast.
Corey Miller, the CEO of Emmanuel Health, says that all began with Elaine Walkom, an Estevan businesswoman who initially donated $2,000,000 for an MRI machine in Estevan. "Elaine was the catalyst for this project and gave us a huge kick-start on our fundraising efforts."
Miller says that Walkom did more than just donate, lending her voice to the project and making an impact through advocacy.
"She made this an issue for our community, and people rallied around her and the idea of having an MRI so that our families didn't need to travel long distances to have this type of critical imaging for their healthcare needs. We're grateful for Elaine."
The rest of the southeast has also stepped up with local RMs, businesses, and community groups giving their own donations. That effort has been critical heading into the next stage of the MRI project, as Miller hopes to see continued support.
"Without that rally together, we would have never been able to get to where we are, and the foundation will continue to raise money as we build the project."
With just over $1 million to go for the project, Miller is confident that what the community's shown so far proves they can get over the finish line.
"We have work to do together, but I think today is a big day in demonstrating to the community and individuals that this isn't something we're talking about. This is something we're doing, and it's proceeding forward. So if there are people that we're waiting to see if this would actually happen, well, today we're telling you it's actually happening."
With contracts signed, Miller says there's no way they'll be backing out now. Instead, they'll look ahead to see what's in store for the project.
"We just need to work to continue raising money so that when we get to the next phases of this project, there are different times during the timeline that we have to distribute money to the vendors. But we feel confident in the support that we've had, and that's why we decided not to wait till we got to the end of raising the money, but we're moving forward with the money that we have and we're confident that we'll reach that goal with the community's support as we move forward."
The current timeline for the project has construction work starting this summer, with an expected MRI installation and end date sometime in the middle of 2026.