Guelph Medial Imaging, which operates the only general ob/gyn ultrasound clinics outside the hospital, has been ordered by the Public Health department to stop performing transvaginal ultrasound examinations due to multiple regulatory infractions and concern for patients' safety.

The formula used by the Ministry of Health to determine need apparently suggests that Guelph is currently well-served for women’s ultrasound by the existing hospital and independent clinics. The professionals who care for women in this region disagree, and continue to send their patients to Kitchener to meet that need. I should not have to leave my community to receive women’s health services.

Currently, Dr. Roger Stronell and his colleagues at KARMA have an ultrasound license in Guelph, but it is restricted to infertility patients. Despite overwhelming support from the Guelph obstetricians, midwives and nurse practitioners in the region, as well as Guelph’s Public Health department, their recent application to expand this license to include the very services needed by Guelph women has been denied,

The Guelph region has been acknowledged as the fastest growing community in Ontario, attracting more young families every day. As a concerned citizen of this community, I request that you sign this petition to improve women's healthcare by increasing access to quality women's ultrasound in Guelph.