VIDEO: Ribbon Cutting Held for Brockville General Hospital’s New MRI Suite on Thursday

Brockville – Brockville General Hospital and SDI Canada held a ribbon cutting on Thursday afternoon for the first Prefabricated Modular MRI Cassette® which houses the hospital’s new Siemens Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Scanner and supporting spaces, as part of the hospital’s ever-growing diagnostic imaging department.

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Since the new MRI scanner began operation three months ago, it has seen over 400 patients being scanned. Brockville General Hospital is the first in Ontario to use a prefabricated modular design to house an MRI.

SDI Canada is a key ally in the deployment of MRIs and biomedical equipment and serves Canadian healthcare providers as an expert in construction, infrastructure maintenance and the distribution of specialized accessories, such as chiller systems.

Construction for the base housing the new MRI was started last September. The prefabricated modular building arrived in two sections this past March where they were assembled to create the new imaging suite. One section is built to meet MRI requirements and the other for required workspaces and patient areas.

In April, the 4.2-ton Siemens MRI scanner was delivered to its new home in BGH’s medical-grade modular building. An extensive team of specialists — including Siemens technicians, engineers, and specialized installers — helped to install the scanner and ensure its optimal performance.

The first four patients received scans with the hospital’s new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner in June.

The MRI was brought into service less than 10 months after the groundbreaking last September thanks to the hospital’s decision to pioneer a medical-grade modular building solution.

“Brockville General is dedicated to expanding and growing our services to meet the needs of our community,” said Nick Vlacholias, Brockville General Hospital President and CEO. “With our new MRI service, we already have experienced a positive impact on the local and regional health system. In just the first three months of operation, over 400 patients from MRI waitlists have received a scan. We also would like to thank our community and the Brockville and District Hospital Foundation for their generous contributions to make this happen.”

“Today, we celebrate the opening of the new MRI Suite at Brockville General Hospital, made possible by the generous support of our community and donors,” said Trish Buote, Brockville and District Hospital Foundation Executive Director. “Your contributions have significantly advanced our healthcare capabilities and enhanced the quality of care our hospital provides. We are deeply grateful for your commitment, which enables us to deliver cutting-edge medical technology to Brockville and area. Thank you for making this pivotal moment a reality.”

This marks SDI’s third installation in Canada using this groundbreaking solution that enables hospitals to expand their treatment capacity while minimizing disruption to existing operations. This advanced technology allows hospitals to create the secure environment necessary for operating medical equipment, like an MRI, without affecting other hospital activities. It is particularly beneficial during periods of reorganization, renovation, or expansion.

Additionally, the prefabricated modular design accelerates the installation process compared to traditional construction methods. Built in a controlled environment, the modular building ensures superior quality control, resulting in a faster, more reliable implementation.

“The Cassette buildings provide flexible infrastructure solutions, capable of serving as independent facilities or supporting expansion. They are relocatable, post-disaster prefabricated structures that comply with local healthcare building codes,” explained Toufic Abiad, Founder and CEO of SDI Canada. “Manufactured in both the USA and Canada, these buildings offer significant advantages in quality, faster project timelines, and cost management. Our solution allows hospitals to complete projects in one year which would usually take two.