To help ensure greater equal access to health care, on June 21, TD Bank Group donated $1 million to the McGill University Health Center (MUHC) Foundation for an innovative project aimed at improving access to health care in remote communities.
This project, led by Drs Reza Forghani and Caroline Reinhold, aims to use artificial intelligence to analyze medical images that need urgent examination, which will provide faster care and potentially save lives. This new technology will be used primarily in x-ray and computed tomography imaging, the cornerstone of medical imaging and emergency diagnostics.
This donation was made to the MUHC Foundation as part of The TD Ready to Act Promise, the financial institution’s corporate citizenship platform. “We are committed to increasing our investments in research, technology and innovative solutions to help ensure equal access to health care. The goal of the MUHC Foundation project is to help improve access to radiology, which can promote early diagnosis and screening, and similarly, health for the benefit of isolated Quebec communities,” Sylvie Demers, Head of Quebec Division, confirms TD Bank Group.
While AI is used in radiology to read medical images and identify specific conditions, particularly those that present a high risk to patients, the MUHC asserts that this investment will improve care, reduce unnecessary patient transportation, and enhance collaboration between researchers and clinicians. Developed by the team of Dr. Forghani and Reinhold, co-directors of the Laboratory for Enhanced Intelligence and Precision Health at the Research Institute of McGill University Health Center (RI-MUHC), the project aims to prioritize images containing life-threatening conditions and report them immediately to a medical professional on demand. This can then alert remote hospitals of conditions that need prompt treatment, such as pneumothorax, intestinal perforations, or even stroke.
Year after year, MUHC radiologists examine more than 190,000 X-rays, 100,000 CT scans, 40,000 MRIs, and 70,000 ultrasounds. They are also responsible for reading approximately 12,000 x-rays and 1,000 ultrasound machines annually for Northern Health Districts. This new project will ease the burden on MUHC’s radiologists while contributing to rapid and accurate disease detection.
“In remote communities, every second counts in providing urgent care. Knowing that stroke patients in rural communities have a 30% greater risk of dying than patients in urban areas, this project developed by our experts has the potential to help save many lives.” ‘,” says Julie Quinville, president and CEO of McGill Health University Foundation Center.
Thanks to the TD donation, the initiative will have a positive impact on the entire McGill University integrated health and social services network, including the 200,000 people living in the Nord-du-Québec and Abitibi-Témiscamingue regions, for whom transfer options to MUHC are very intense. Limited. Ultimately, this project could have a huge impact on the seven million Canadians who currently live in rural communities.
TD has a long history of helping to enrich the lives of our clients, colleagues and communities. Through its citizen platform, The TD Ready to Act Promise, TD aims to donate a total of C$1 billion to communities by 2030 in four key areas to help open the doors to a more inclusive and sustainable future: financial security, a vibrant planet, inclusive societies and health Best.
The McGill University Health Center Foundation (MUHC) is raising funds to support excellence in patient care, research, and education at McGill University Health Center, one of Canada’s top teaching hospitals. campaigned” Dare to dream Aimed to transform lives and advance medicine, it will raise millions of dollars to solve humanity’s deadliest mysteries, infectious diseases, eradicate cancer as a deadly disease, unite broken hearts through innovative cardiovascular care, uncover the silent killers of early ovarian and endometrial cancer, more Healthcare teams capacity in Canada.
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