Our cause depends on community involvement. Your participation is vital to saving South Muskoka Hospital. Help us protect and advance hospital care in South Muskoka for the future!
Get Involved:
Get informed on our website and read the latest news from SSMHC, then:
- Sign up to become a Community Member in support of SSMHC
- Sign our current petition targeting the $77M local share from the District of Muskoka – See below!
- Contact local municipal and provincial politicians, and the MAHC board indicating your concerns and calling for them to keep the promise of two acute care hospitals in both Huntsville and Bracebridge. A list of contacts can be found here: https://ssmh.ca/government-and-mahc-contacts/
- Donate and be a Friend of our committee
Let Others Know – We Need Serious Changes to MAHC’s Plan!
- Increased Acute Care Beds in South Muskoka: Number of acute care beds at the future South Muskoka site to at least 60 beds
- Care Close to Home: elimination of mandatory transfer to the Huntsville site for any condition requiring six or more days of inpatient care
- Physician Recruitment and Retention: Input from local physicians must be obtained and respected in the planning process
- Equitable allocation of ALC: Allocation of all ALC beds to Huntsville site is short-sighted relative to other concerns raised in this list
- Site Selection Re-evaluated: MAHC’s selected site in Bracebridge is a retired quarry, with identified poor soil conditions. Remediation costs are grossly unreasonable and this will also impact future expansion possibilities at this site
- Transportation Plan (for the Realities of Muskoka): Ontario Health must mandate MAHC to produce a workable transportation plan that reflects realities of life in Muskoka (i.e. remote communities with high levels of wealth inequality and lack of public transit) in order to support a primary hospital in the northern part of Muskoka away from the majority of the population
- Realistic Analysis and Further Public Consultation Concerning Transfer Rates to Huntsville Site: Additional disclosure, consultation and planning to address transfer rates between hospital sites for public’s awareness
Sign Update
- Residents are reminded to responsibly remove lawn signs for safe storage through the winter
- Signs can be placed in windows for display or otherwise will be re-used in the spring 2025
- Window Signs are available – please email [email protected] with your request (including name, address and telephone number)
Petitions
Second Petition to District of Muskoka regarding Local Share
This Petition is Active!
Instructions for the Petition
We are asking the District and the towns and townships to hold any commitment for money for the “local share” by petitioning them with the following:
1. Copy The petition below
2. Sign: YOUR NAME, YOUR MUSKOKA ADDRESS
3. Go to the District email portal and put in your name and email address for a response. click the box that says “not a robot”
4. Let them know you are behind the doctors and the “Care Close to Home” plan. The email portal is linked here: The District Municipality of Muskoka
5. Hit send. (There will be paper copies as well, but this gets it to them faster.)
Petition Below
To The District Municipality of Muskoka:
WHEREAS, A resolution by the District Council that was Moved, Seconded and Carried on September 21, 2015 ENDORSING Resolutions by the towns of Huntsville and Bracebridge to petition the Province of Ontario to ensure that a full range of core hospital services, including acute care inpatient, emergency, diagnostic and surgical services, are MAINTAINED on a multi-site basis at BOTH the South Muskoka Memorial Hospital and the Huntsville District Memorial Hospital;
AND WHEREAS MAHC has received a commitment for funding based on that Resolution
We the undersigned Petition the District Municipality of Muskoka and their Townships / Towns to pass a motion that they will not vary from the Resolution #158/2015 ENDORSED AND PASSED on September 21, 2015 and will hold any funding commitment until that Resolution is fulfilled.
Physical copies of the petition can be found in the following locations:
Port Carling
Apothecary
Food Land
Bala
Pharmasave
Pizza Nova
Hook and Ladder Restaurant
Foodland
Torrance
Clear Lake Brewing
Gravenhurst
Terry’s Your Independent Grocer
Currie’s Music
Bethune Variety
Seniors Centre
South Muskoka Healthcare
Rombos Restaurant
Home Hardware
Anne’s Variety
Mighty Mary
Chamberlain Timber Mart
Bracebridge
Big River Bakery
Anglican Church
Classy Cuts
Seniors Centre
Cottage Winery
Natural Food Store
Rene’s Barber Shop
Majestic Hair style
Annex
Owl & Pen Book Store
Independent Grocers
Mark’s Work Warehouse
Medical Arts Building
Fabricare
Bracebridge Medical
Laundromat
Muskoka Lumber
Dr. Stuart Robson, Dentist
Homestyle Cafe
Kurtz Restaurant
Muskoka Chrysler
Greavette GM
Hammond Transportation
Kabota North
Baysville
The Fuel Emporium XTR gas
Groovys Cannabis
Port Sydney
Fresh Mart
Dean’s Home Hardware
Windermere
Windermere Corners Gas Station
Bent River
Bent River General Store
Rosseau
Rosseau General Store
First Petition to Ontario Legislature regarding MAHC Board – Completed
This petition is completed/closed.
Please note the Ontario government only accepts petitions in paper copy. Thanks to the efforts of Dan and Cindy Waters, this petition was presented in the Legislature on April 12, 2024. Thank you to the 7500+ that participated in this petition.
The language of this petition reads as follows:
To The Legislative Assembly of Ontario:
WHEREAS, Muskoka Algonquin Health Care Board of Directors appoints all members of their Board of Directors and since there is no democratic selection to the Board by our local communities, and
WHERAS Muskoka Algonquin Health Care Board has decided to change South Muskoka Hospital into what we see as a temporary Emergency Rest Stop with reduced general hospital beds and services in South Muskoka despite that South Muskoka Memorial Hospital has had 35% more inpatient days and 12% more admissions over the past 5 years than Huntsville District Memorial Hospital, the Board suggests that Huntsville’s hospital should increase in beds and services by more than 153% despite greater demand in South Muskoka and
WHEREAS a move to make such a change will cause health, economic and social strife for South Muskoka’s communities,
WE the undersigned petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to unanimously agree to:
1. disregard any suggestion or applications by the current Board of Directors to the Ministry of Health for any changes to hospital services at Muskoka Algonquin Health Care and
2. allow the community to choose their Board of Directors in a democratic fashion or dissolve Muskoka Algonquin Health Care and return to 2 Boards chosen by residents that will work toward sharing services to reduce costs of having 2 hospitals.
