IT WILL TAKE A WHILE BEFORE WE ACHIEVE 20/20 HINDSIGHT ON THE PANDEMIC, BUT ONE THING IS FOR SURE: NO PUBLIC SERVICE SECTOR HAD TO PIVOT MORE DRASTICALLY OR MORE QUICKLY THAN THE HEALTH CARE SECTOR— AND NOWHERE ELSE WAS IT MORE IMPORTANT TO GET IT RIGHT.

For their part, staff at South Muskoka Memorial Hospital immediately implemented a four-stage pandemic plan followed by often-daily revisions required to meet changing health ministry requirements as the situation evolved. Patients whose COVID swab results were pending had to be kept separate from COVID-positive patients and from those who had received negative test results, resulting in the need to reorganize into mini-wards. Similarly, four-bed rooms became two-bed rooms to meet physical distancing guidelines among patients. According to Chief Nursing Executive Janice Raine, regional connections with area hospitals were strengthened as administrators met regularly to discuss protocol and plan for capacity issues and inter-hospital patient transfers.

Supporting your hospital is an investment in people, in your future, and in life. It’s a way to make an impact in your community, today and tomorrow.

On the ground, nurses stepped up at the front line, not only sharpening their infection control processes, but also providing emotional support to families and patients separated by visiting restrictions. “Keep in mind,” says Janice, “that many of our nurses, after an emotionally gruelling 12-hour shift , would return home to their own young families where children were adjusting to virtual schooling and separation from friends and extended family.”

The shutdown of the hospital’s auxiliary services has also taken a toll on patients and staff . Among their duties, the team of volunteers augments food services for staff and visitors, runs a popular coffee bar, and helps with portering patients around the hospital, but the impact of their absence extends beyond that. “We miss them dearly,” says Janice. “They’re part of our work family, and we can’t wait to have them back here.”

Operating room ramp-downs and visiting restrictions have been largely mandated by the ministry throughout the pandemic, based on outbreak hotspots and provincewide infection rates. While urgent and emergent operations have
continued, a backlog of patients whose surgeries are deemed nonurgent has developed. “The good news on that front,” says Janice, “is that most of our surgeries are outpatient, so it shouldn’t take us nearly as long to clear the backlog as it will in some other parts of the province.”

Naturally, the hospital has been an engine of COVID assessment, conducting roughly 6,500 swab tests within the hospital between March 2020 and May 2021, and 13,000 at their assessment centre outside the hospital. And while numbers in the ER initially dropped, giving staff time to reorganize and apply COVID measures, when patients did eventually come for urgent care, staff found they tended to be in poorer health. Th roughout the pandemic, hospitals have adapted to continue to deliver highquality health care, but it’s important to recognize that this has come with a huge price tag. To date, SMMH with its partner hospital Huntsville District Memorial Hospital, has incurred an additional $7.4 million in pandemic-related costs. Recouping this to achieve the elusive “back to normal” at SMMH will be another
significant challenge.

ENDOSCOPIC ULTRASOUND:

Modern medical procedures allow doctors to look inside your body without surgery. This means they can find problems and diseases in less time and with less risk.

One such procedure, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), combines endoscopy with ultrasound imaging to diagnose certain diseases. A special endoscope uses high-frequency sound waves to produce detailed images of the lining and walls of your digestive tract and chest as well as nearby organs such as the pancreas and liver, and lymph nodes.

During EUS the doctor passes a thin, flexible tube (endoscope) through the mouth and digestive tract. A small ultrasound device (transducer) in the tube produces sound waves that create a precise image of surrounding tissue, including lymph nodes in the chest. The endoscope is then gradually withdrawn.

This endoscopic procedure carries very little risk to patients, without any exposure to X-rays or radiation. The benefits of this procedure over standard abdominal ultrasound scan, MRI, or CT scan are well recognized. It is used primarily to diagnose medical conditions including disorders of the common bile duct and pancreas, as well as masses in the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum, and to diagnose certain cancers. Unlike traditional imaging modalities, EUS allows
the physician to perform certain treatments, including the draining of cysts and delivering medication directly to the organ, eliminating the need for a separate biopsy or medical procedure.

REFERRAL CENTRES FOR EUS
Although EUS has been used since the 1990s for patient diagnostics, there are only a handful of hospitals in Ontario that provide this diagnostic modality.

“ Fewer than twenty hospitals in Ontario offer this procedure.”

Fewer than 20 hospitals in Ontario offer this procedure, with the majority of these being teaching hospitals in larger urban centres such as Ottawa, Kingston, and the GTA.

Currently, patients from Muskoka requiring EUS are required to travel to other centres, primarily the GTA, to gain access to this procedure.

SMMH surgeon Dr. Rohit Gupta is trained in EUS and could accommodate this procedure within his surgical practice. Not only would this benefit residents of Muskoka, but also residents in our catchment area, including Haliburton, Lindsay, and Simcoe-Muskoka County.

By The Numbers

SMMH'S FIGURES TELL AN IMPORTANT STORY

Most recent patient satisfaction data collected by the Ontario Hospital Association’s Patient Satisfaction Survey indicates that overall rating of care in the Emergency Department is 55%, which exceeds the Ontario Community Hospital Average Score of 53.7% .

Overall rating of the inpatient acute care is 72.7% which exceeds the Ontario Community Hospital Average of 61.8%

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

EACH STORY IS A TREASURE, AND IN SHARING EXPERIENCES, OUR WHOLE COMMUNITY IS ENRICHED.

$2,000,000
Diagnostic Imaging

We built our retirement home at Muskoka Bay in 1999 and used it as a casual residence until we decided to make Muskoka our full-time home in 2019. When we moved here, we weren’t sure we would find the same quality of health care as in the city, but two visits to the Emergency Department alleviated any doubts. Both times we arrived during a shift change, yet we received prompt and caring attention from good-natured staff.

Quality health care and a well-equipped hospital are so important to a community. We feel very fortunate to be in the position to show our gratitude by supporting the hospital.

KYM & BRIAN READ

$65,000
Portable Ultrasound Machine

During the beginning of COVID in 2020, it became very apparent just how important the South Muskoka Memorial Hospital is to all of the cottagers within all of the Muskoka Lakes. With this in mind, we felt it was a wonderful opportunity to make sure we supported the hospital. Since cottagers like ourselves would more likely use the Emergency Department, it was our pleasure and privilege to purchase a portable ultrasound unit
for the Emergency Department. We encouraged our friends in the area to do the same, and many stepped up to the challenge and also donated. We encourage you all to support our local hospital, as you never know when you will need their services.

I am currently pursuing my studies to get a bachelor’s degree in computer sciences at Queen’s University. This summer I have the opportunity to work as an owner-operator with Student Works Painting. This year my student painting company will service dozens of home and cottage owners in the Muskoka area. I am very excited to donate a portion of every job to the hospital and give back to the Muskoka community. With summer here, it is great to help our local hospital in any way we can to ensure they have the resources they need. I look forward to servicing our clients this summer and supporting South Muskoka Memorial Hospital.

$45,000 each
ICU Beds

Muskoka is important for all of us—the place our families come together and grow together. Supporting local health care and community services is just the right thing to do. We’re all neighbours up here and we want to do our part to make sure our Muskoka community remains strong.

Current Needs–Can You Help?

The South Muskoka Hospital Foundation relies on the generosity of donors to purchase new or replacement equipment. It is a common misconception that all hospital needs are covered by your tax dollars.

The South Muskoka Hospital Foundation encourages our community to invest in the highest standard of health care, including everything from lifesaving equipment to health care education and urgent renovations and repairs. This year, we’ll invest over $2.5 million in new equipment.

The Emergency Department at South Muskoka Memorial Hospital sees approximately 20,000 patients each year, averaging 55 people every day needing emergency care in our community.

Sixty percent of those visits require some level of diagnostic testing or lab work. The Emergency Department is the cornerstone of our greatest needs, where we ensure the highest level of health care is available, today and tomorrow.

Generosity from people like you is what ensures we can be there when we’re needed. If you are able to help, please contact Executive Director, Colin Miller, by phone or email at 705.645.4404 x3246 or [email protected] to discuss how you can support your hospital.