From Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare
To ensure the continued delivery of high-quality obstetrical services at the South Muskoka Memorial Hospital (SMMH) Site, Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC) will temporarily consolidate labour and delivery care at the Huntsville District Memorial Hospital (HDMH) Site. This temporary measure is effective March 11, 2025, and will be in place for up to 12 months.
Our decision to consolidate services follows extensive consultations with our clinical teams, including the Medical Advisory Committee, physicians, nurses, and other medical staff. The consolidation period will allow clinical teams to focus attention on several factors, including low patient volumes, referral patterns and leaves of absence, and nursing and physician coverage which has made it difficult to sustain the safety of labour and delivery services at SMMH. Over this period, attention will be placed on recruitment, assessment of patient volumes and referral pattens to strengthen capacity and ensure the delivery of safe, reliable obstetrical services. Regular evaluations will be conducted.
“Safe, high-quality obstetrical care is a top priority,” says Cheryl Harrison, President & CEO. “Our decision to temporarily consolidate services reflects our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of patient care within our obstetrical program.”
For patients, this means that those who present to SMMH requiring labour and delivery services will be assessed, stabilized, and transferred to the HDMH Site to ensure safe care. Emergency obstetrical care will continue to be available at SMMH. For the program, this temporary consolidation allows us to improve staffing stability, integrate best practices from external reviews, and enhance training programs — all focused on strengthening the future of obstetrical services at MAHC.
Our care team will continue to work at the same physical location at the SMMH Site, with the same shifts ensuring continuity in the workplace. Patients can continue to utilize available community prenatal and post-partum services.
MAHC’s decision to consolidate services at HDMH will be reassessed in six and nine months as we work to strengthen capacity at the SMMH Site, with the goal of reinstating obstetrical services as soon as it is safe to do so.
“We appreciate your patience as we work to improve obstetrical services at SMMH,” says Harrison. “I’d like to acknowledge the very hard work of our obstetrical teams of physicians, midwives and nurses providing labour and delivery services.”
For any questions regarding your care plan, please contact your healthcare provider.
Nicole, If they can staff Huntsville, then why can’t they staff SMMH? This is either poor management or a plan to eventually shut down having babies at SMMH. This temporary plan falls in line with MAHC’s original plan to turn SMMH into a 14 bed clinic. All babies born in Huntsville. Do you remember that plan? People in South Muskoka certainly do.
Unfortunately I can say with certainty that staffing at the Bracebridge L&D site is extremely difficult, I can not tell you how many times the hospital obstetrics service has been on bypass. If I woman were to present at SMHH and is needing extensive care likely she would be transfer to Orillia anyway. If she was labouring and it stalled the Huntsville staff ALWAYS have OB staff on hand, as well as OB dr’s and are capable of preforming a c-section on site. One hospital in all of Muskoka for L&D is not ideal but it is better then not having one at all
I totally agree with Norm Raynor.. As Mayor of Muskoka Lakes and District Councillor in the 1980s, I have some understanding of these issues. I myself had to get to Toronto by ambulance when I went into labour too early with complications n the mid-70s. If I had had to be triaged in Bracebridge, then dispatched to Huntsville and then sent to Toronto, I hate to think how that would have gone as it was already a cold snowy night in January.
Perhaps Ms. Harrison can explain why MAHC didn’t consolidate obstetrics at South Muskoka. And temporary means short term, 12 months is not short term. It would make more sense to have obstetrics in South Muskoka because SMMH is closer to Orillia. Can you imagine Mrs. X from( Gravenhurst or Bala) goes to SMMH to have a baby, at SMMH she is taken to Huntsville, at Huntsville complications arise. Mrs. X is then taken to Orillia. Is it possible that this could happen? Has any expecting mother ever been taken from Huntsville to Orillia? In 12 months will Ms. Harrison say, “well we proved we can’t have obstetrics in SMHH”, so we will go with my original plan?