Indo-Canadian Pioneer Donates $1 Million For New MRI Technology At Lions Gate Hospital

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Pictured from left to right: Mark Hannah, Director, Lions Gate Hospital Foundation; Stephen Sander, Founder, Hollyburn Properties; Judy Savage, President, LGH Foundation; Kevin Rowan, Director of Diagnostic Imaging, LGH; Mayor Darrell Mussatto, City of North Vancouver.

Businessman Stephen Sander and his property management and development company, Hollyburn Properties Ltd., has donated $1 million to Lions Gate Hospital Foundation to bring new state-of-the-art MRI technology to the Radiology Department at Lions Gate Hospital.

By R. Paul Dhillon

NORTH VANCOUVER – Pioneering Indo-Canadian businessman Stephen Sander and his property management and development company, Hollyburn Properties Ltd., has donated $1 million to Lions Gate Hospital Foundation to bring new state-of-the-art MRI technology to the Radiology Department at Lions Gate Hospital.

Sanders’ company’s  gift will make Lions Gate the first hospital in British Columbia to employ the very latest generation in MRI technology – the GE Signa Explorer.

“This is an extremely generous gift that will have a significant impact on patient care,” said Judy Savage, President, Lions Gate Hospital Foundation. “It will allow considerable quality improvements and greater patient comfort, bringing first-class diagnostic imaging capability to the North Shore.”

Founded on the North Shore by the Sander and his family, Hollyburn Properties has served the North Shore community by providing quality rental housing for the past 40 years. Several Sander family members were born at Lions Gate Hospital and continue to reside on the North Shore, creating strong personal ties to the community and to LGH.

“Hollyburn Properties is very proud to serve the North Shore community,” said Sander, founder of Hollyburn and one of the most successful Indo-Canadian businessmen from the pioneer community.

“We have lived here and provided rental housing here since 1975. The donation towards a new MRI machine for Lions Gate Hospital is a way for us to give back to the people and their families of this community, who have supported us for the past 40 years.”

Sander’s company, Hollyburn Properties, owns and operates 81 rental apartment buildings across Canada.

The new MRI technology is scheduled to arrive at Lions Gate Hospital in April. The advanced software will feature algorithms allowing for increased contrast differentiation that will greatly enhance image quality for more accurate diagnostic scans.

Key highlights of the new GE Signa Explorer:

Most advanced imager of its kind in B.C.

Highest level of image quality and resolution available today

98% quieter, from 108 decibels to 3 decibels

Much faster processing time, allowing more patient scans per day

In addition, many scans will be produced faster, allowing more scans to be completed each day. The noise level during some scanning will be reduced by 97.5% – from 108 to 3 decibels. This has been shown to reduce anxiety in claustrophobic patients and patients with dementia. Currently, up to 3% of imaging time is lost to patients who are too stressed by the close environment in the scanner to continue with the exam.