A health announcement was made in Niverville Wednesday morning which may cut down on MRI wait times.

Gord Daman, from Niverville Heritage Holdings Inc (NHHI), says currently the wait time in Manitoba for an MRI is 18 to 20 weeks, on average. However, Daman notes, a new 2,400 square foot diagnostic services centre which will include MRI, ultrasound, X-ray, and a medical laboratory, could see that wait time reduced.

"If we look at MRI's in Winnipeg, the Pan Am Clinic has an MRI that's run by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and has a 29-week wait list," notes Daman. "So, what happens is that organizations like MPI and WCB, understandably, wish to have some of their clients who have had an injury, they want to be able to facilitate those folks getting services as quickly as possible to ensure they get the services. So, actually, MPI and WCB have a 12-day guarantee of getting an MRI before the rest of us on the public system. While they pay for this, it does take up close to 2,500-3,000 spots. So, by opening Niverville up we'll be able to create 3,000 new spots right at the Pan Am Clinic and that will benefit public services."

The Heritage Life Diagnostic Centre is an agreement between the Town of Niverville, NHHI, Liver Care Canada, Felipe Campusano, and Yves Kimbo. Daman says this is a third option apart from the public and private sector which will give individuals the option of getting tests done sooner while also staying close to home.

"For those folks who are already going out province to get those services, they'll be able to receive those services sooner. One of the things that it does, I think, is it allows us to ensure that for those folks who have some anxiety in waiting, but also for those individuals, for instance, the individuals that sometimes aren't sure, we actually take them out of the system because the MRI indicates that they don't have a real concern. So, it's really important that we allow this third way."

Daman notes this centre remains within the Canada Health Act and the building, along with all its services, will be donated to the Town of Niverville free and clear of encumbrances or debt in 25 years.

Mayor Myron Dyck says discussions for the centre started in May when Yves Kimbo first approached him for help in making this dream of a diagnostic services centre a reality. Dyck adds it coincides with a goal from their 2011 strategic planning session where they wanted to find ways to make Niverville more of a destination.

"With this announcement here, with diagnostic services, people go to North Dakota, out of the country for diagnostic services. To them we're saying you don't have to go out of the country, you can come to Niverville. So, it seeks to make Niverville a destination and it also continues to enhance and augment the health services that we have here for our community, our region, and our province."

Felipe Campusano, with Liver Care Canada, says he started investing in projects in northern Ontario and often looks at smaller communities where he feels he's needed and where the need is acknowledged. Campusano says Niverville is well organized with passionate leaders who look at how they can best make a difference. He notes Niverville has all the elements required to bring to fruition something that has never been done before.

"I think this is probably the best place in Manitoba, at least the most likely place where we're only going to get cooperation from everyone. Everyone is just going to be trying to come up with solutions as opposed to getting stuck in a problem that I'm sure we're going to run into. So, I think ultimately it's the leadership in the community and the need."

He says, while the Heritage Life Diagnostic Centre is a business and will be charging for services to generate income and be sustainable, he's excited about the means-testing so individuals with lower incomes are able to have the same level of service at an affordable cost.

"I want to make it accessible for all income levels. This is what I call Canada, from my perspective, this is what distinguishes us. I just want to allow this to continue and expand and, hopefully, motivate other communities to do the same. I think we're going to be an example."

Daman adds this centre will open up seven to 12 new positions. He notes these positions are not for additional doctors, however, this opens the opportunity to attract more doctors and hopes that is a result.

Dyck says another goal from their 2011 strategic planning session was to make Niverville a place where research could be done. He notes the University of Manitoba has partnered with the Town of Niverville twice already, once on a Main Street initiative on how it could be redesigned, and a second time on soil sciences when it comes to the lagoon remediation.

"What Felipe and Yves have agreed to, because of their philanthropic nature and spirit, is they're giving 50 free MRIs to the University of Manitoba Research Centre that deal with Alzheimers. At our personal care home, on our second floor, we have 20 beds that we were granted by the province for acute dementia and Alzheimers patients. So, through these free MRIs that will be given to the University of Manitoba, they will be able to use them for finding a cure for Alzheimers and we're excited to be a partner with them. We thank them for coming on board and we thank Felipe and Yves for their generosity in this as we look to see what we can do in our community to help fight this disease."

Dyck says he signed up for municipal politics because he wanted to see what he could do to make his community better.

"My time in serving has never been about me, it's about the people in the community. If they believe that I've helped them to have a better quality of life, I don't even need to hear that, I just need to know that they had a better quality of life."

The Heritage Life Diagnostic Centre will be constructed on the southwest portion of the Heritage Centre property. Construction is expected to start this fall with completion in the fall of 2018.