Guelph General Hospital will expand its medical care access with the opening of a new medical centre next December.
The hospital has partnered with Conestoga College to open the centre at the school’s campus in Guelph, Ont., which will initially provide diagnostic imaging services.
Dr. Alex Ferguson, Chief of Staff at Guelph General, said a second MRI machine will shorten wait times for patients.
“We’re also going to be increasing the availability of monography, ultrasound within the community and bone mineral density testing,” Ferguson said.
In addition, he said the centre will also have X-ray machines, which will increase its capacity to provide service for patients within the community.
Both the college and hospital already have an existing relationship, according to Natalia Ronda, dean of health and life sciences.
She said the partnership is really more of an opportunity to galvanize the school’s relationship with the hospital, as several of their medical students have previously participated in clinical placements there.
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Ronda said Guelph General was looking to expand its critical care services and the campus’ space is very close to the “existing footprint” at the hospital.
She said the training students receive will be able to support the critical shortage in diagnostic imaging.
“It is really important for our students to understand that Conestoga offers really high-quality education, that our labs are able to support that practice that is very close to what they would experience in a clinical environment,” Ronda said.
She said clinical placements will be offered to students in existing health care programs, including nursing and pharmacy.
The centre will be fully managed and operated by Guelph General.
Dr. Ferguson said staff are really excited to engage in these partnership opportunities.
“Opportunities like this are really exciting for us because it provides us a little bit of a space and a different way of providing care for our patients,” he said.
Ferguson added that their goal is to have the MRI machine up and running approximately a year from now.
He said the other areas of the diagnostic imaging and ambulatory care centre will come online in a phased approach afterwards.
There is no exact date as to when the centre’s doors will officially open.