Temporary Expansion of MRI Appointment Hours in Eastern-Urban Zone

Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) Health Services is pleased to announce the temporary expansion of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appointment hours at facilities in the Eastern-Urban Zone to increase access to Medical Imaging for patients.

MRI appointments at St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital and the Janeway Children’s Health and Rehabilitation Centre in St. John’s are now operating 24 hours a day until February 2025. This expanded schedule is designed to accommodate an increased number of scans while the MRI machine at the Health Sciences Centre is temporarily out of service.

“NL Health Services is continuously striving to enhance access to MRI services to help patients receive timely, and effective care and treatment,” said Dr. Gena Bugden, vice president of Medical Services. “We understand how important it is for patients to receive imaging as soon as possible, and these extended hours are one way we are working to provide patients with earlier appointments.”

Changes in Appointment Times

Patients are advised that appointments may be scheduled at any time during the day or night as part of these extended hours.

• Patients who previously had scheduled appointments may see a change in their appointment time. If there is a change in appointment time, patients will be notified of their new appointment time by phone.
• Patients with existing MRI appointments who are interested in an earlier, overnight appointment during the temporary 24-hour expansion, are invited to call (709) 777-9729.

Patients are encouraged to make every effort to attend their appointment. If unable to attend a scheduled appointment, patients should call (709) 777-9729 as soon as possible so that the appointment can be offered to someone else.

Additional Enhancements to MRI Services

To further support patients requiring MRI services, NL Health Services is securing a portable MRI unit which is expected to be in place at the Health Sciences Centre in February 2025. Additional MRI machines will be in place at the new Ambulatory Care Hub in St. John’s when it opens in 2025. A new MRI has been operating at Western Memorial Regional Hospital in Corner Brook since June 2024 and a replacement MRI for James Paton Memorial Hospital in Gander is also planned for 2025.

“We are committed to making improvements to our MRI service which will have a significant and positive impact on wait times and we will continue to explore innovative solutions for continued improvement,” said Dr. Angela Pickles, clinical chief of medical imaging, NL Health Services. “We are optimistic that the efforts of our medical imaging team and enhancements which are being made are leading to shorter wait times and better treatment plans for patients.”

NL Health Services has introduced a number of enhancements to MRI services in recent months that are leading to reduced wait times for patients. From January to September 2024, we have seen wait times for an MRI in the Eastern Urban Zone decrease by up to 33 per cent, depending on the site. Enhancements include:

• Expanded hours: Since April 2024, hours of operation for MRI services in the Eastern-Urban Zone have been extended to include weekends, resulting in additional scans each month. In September, MRI service hours in Central Zone also expanded to increase the availability of MRI scans for patients.
• New software: To further enhance access to MRI services, NL Health Services implemented artificial intelligence (AI) software in the Eastern-Urban Zone and Western Zone. This cutting-edge software is designed to reduce scan times and enable more patients to be seen.
• Recruitment: To support the extension in hours of service, NL Health Services has recruited six additional MRI technologists and clerical staff in the Eastern-Urban Zone, and will be recruiting an additional 11 staff throughout the province. To help recruit for these positions, NL Health Services is offering attractive incentives such as six MRI education bursaries to help train more MRI technologists, as well as Come Home Incentives for MRI technologist recruitment. For more information about these opportunities, please visit https://workinhealthnl.ca/incentives/come-home-incentive/.

-30-