People in in the Kootenay Boundary will have increased access to a new MRI suite at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH) in Trail.

“People living in the Kootenay Boundary will have access to timely scans through this new state-of-the-art MRI suite, providing increased diagnostic testing close to home,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “This new MRI will reduce wait times will and improve imaging accuracy. Our government is committed to ensuring that patients get the diagnosis, treatment planning and followup where and when they need it.”

With the approval of the business plan for the new MRI suite, KBRH will be able to accommodate more complex-care exams and reduce the need to transfer patients to other service areas. The new MRI will make a significant improvement to quality of care and increase accessibility to services for vulnerable patients, including those with serious conditions, disabilities, pediatric and elderly patients, and those experiencing mental-health challenges.

“This new MRI suite will ensure more medical scans and diagnoses will be closer to home for people in Trail and throughout the region,” said Jennifer Rice, Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health. “This new suite is another example of the actions we are taking to ensure people living in rural and remote areas have access to the quality health care they need.” 

The current MRI suite is located in a mobile trailer, which limits services to monitored patients, bariatric patients, and sedated patients. The new MRI suite will be located in an integrated space in the hospital, and will support KBRH as a Regional Oncology Centre, Level 3 Trauma Referral Centre, and Regional Stroke Centre.

“We are taking steps to ensure that people have access to MRI scanning without having to travel far away from home,” said Katrine Conroy, MLA for Kootenay West. “This new suite will mean improved care for patients with conditions like strokes, brain and spinal tumors that often limit mobility. It’s just one more action we are making to ensure people across the region get high-quality health care.” 

The new MRI will also improve imaging accuracy along with scanning capacity and efficiencies compared to the existing scanner, with chest scans expected to be reduced from 90 to 45 minutes. This will enable more exams to be completed, reducing the need for physicians to refer patients to larger sites due to long wait times, resulting in fewer delays in medical interventions.

After a competitive bidding process, Interior Health has selected Stantec Architecture for architectural and engineering services for the KBRH MRI project. Construction is planned to start in summer 2026 and be ready for patients by summer 2028.

The total project cost is estimated to be $35.86 million and will be shared by the provincial government through Interior Health, the West Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital District and the KBRH Health Foundation.

Quick Facts:

• KBRH opened in 1954 and offers a variety of health-care services, including 24-hour emergency and trauma services, enhanced laboratory services, acute and obstetrical care, psychiatry and chemotherapy.
• The new MRI is anticipated to perform 7,000 scans per year, up from the 4,400 scans that the current mobile MRI has capacity for. The total volume of MRI exams in Interior Health has increased from 20,726 in 2017-18 to 54,737 in 2023-24.
• The KBRH emergency department redevelopment began in fall 2018 and included: a single-storey addition to the existing building; updated and expanded trauma bays; exam and procedure rooms; and an airborne isolation and secure room, which opened in September 2020.
• The new ambulatory-care wing opened September 2021 and features new procedure rooms, endoscopy suites and recovery rooms, new patient change rooms and natural light, and the new pharmacy opened in July 2022.
• The renovated and expanded oncology department, the modernized physiotherapy department and the upgraded cast clinic all opened in summer 2022.

Learn More:

Learn more about health capital projects in B.C., visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/accessing-health-care/capital-projects