At their latest budget meeting, Lennox and Addington County Council approved only 50 per cent of the funding request from the Lennox and Addington County General Hospital Foundation for their first ever MRI machine.
Council approved just $50,000 per year for the next ten years, compared to the $100,000 yearly the foundation had asked for.
According to the foundation’s January request, funding the new machine and the renovations required, the hospital needs to raise $3.5 million. Along with the various funding and financing opportunities the foundation is currently seeking, they had originally asked council for a total of $1 million.
The hospital already began construction in the summer of 2023 on an expansion of the diagnostic imaging department. The space will house the MRI machine and new, specialized clinics.
Staff had originally moved to only put forth $25,000 per year, but Coun. Jim Hegadorn moved to double their contribution.
