Thanks to the generous help of donors, the first patients were welcomed through Kingston Health Sciences Centre’s (KHSC) state-of-the-art Breast Imaging Kingston facility in March of this year. 

The 8,000-square-foot facility brings together breast imaging services and procedures from multiple healthcare sites, streamlining care for patients and transforming breast health in southeastern Ontario.

“This is really the one-stop-shop approach to care for this patient population,” says KHSC’s Director of Imaging Services, Karen Pearson. “We said we wanted to create a centre that allows the highest level of breast imaging care in North America, and I think we’ve accomplished that.”

The combination of revolutionary screening technology and precision diagnosis equipment under one roof is unique to all of Canada. It will help save countless lives in the coming decades and help advance knowledge in the field.

“It gives me goosebumps and makes me emotional to think about how far we’ve come  in this journey,” says Eric Sauerbrei, Radiologist and Head of the Women’s Imaging Section of the Department of Radiology at KHSC. “Now, not only do we expect wait times to decrease significantly with this new centre, we’ll increase our rate of cancer detection because the new technology will be that much more sensitive and accurate.”

A significant portion of the funding for the $7 million facility was generously donated by Brit Smith and Homestead Land Holdings Limited, and funds raised by the women of The Rose of Hope committee.

“We are very proud to be a part of this wonderful new centre that will save a lot of lives,” says Sherri McCullough, Cataraqui Golf and Country Club Rose of Hope Chair. “We are also very grateful to our partners at the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation for all the support and encouragement they give us, and we would especially like to thank all of our members, donors and sponsors whose generosity and dedication have helped to make this dream come true.”

“We are truly privileged to share a community with individuals who so generously support KHSC’s staff, physicians, patients and families,” says Dr. David Pichora, President and CEO of KHSC. “I can truly say that without the visionary leadership and support of Brit Smith, Homestead Land Holdings and the Rose of Hope committee,  this new facility would never have become a reality.”