The Picture of Health Campaign

The South Muskoka Hospital Foundation recently wrapped up The Picture of Health campaign in January 2009. Please see our campaign update on our News page and celebrate in its incredible success, thanks to our generous donors, supportive community and hard-working campaign cabinet!

The Picture of Health campaign attained its goal a year early, in January 2009. It raised $5.5 million to provide the South Muskoka Memorial Hospital Site with a new CT scanner, facilities, Picture Achiving System and other diagnostic imaging equipment.

The community – including seasonal and year-round residents, local businesses, and corporations with operations in South Muskoka - resoundingly supported the campaign.

SMHF Annual Campaign

Gifts to the Annual Fund provide South Muskoka Hospital Foundation with the opportunity to augment learning resources, enhance patient programs, invest in new equipment and technology, increase scholarship and continually upgrade our facilities to enrich the patient experience.

The Annual Fund represents over $600,000 annually in program enhancements. Thank you for your continued support!

Your support enables and ensures our future, and we thank you.

To find out how you can make a difference in South Muskoka, please look at our pages Donate Now and Ways of Giving or contact the SMHF directly through email or by calling the Foundation Office at: (705) 645-4404 x 3193.

Why do we need a up-to-date equipment in South Muskoka?

Technology saves lives. Modern diagnostic imaging equipment, for example, provides immediate and accurate images and enables physicians to diagnose and determine treatment for their patients in a highly effective manner.
Attraction and retention of qualified medical practitioners to South Muskoka. Today, physicians consider a certain level of technology to be essential tools of their trade. A hospital without these tools has a much more difficult time attracting medical practitioners to their area.
Viability of the hospital’s emergency department services. Being equipped with the appropriate technology ensures the viability of the South Muskoka Memorial Hospital Site as an emergency and acute care centre.
Technology greatly enhances patient care and treatment. The level of detail and accuracy of the diagnosis provided by a CT scanner, for example, provides state-of-the-art information to better facilitate subsequent treatment.
Decreased wait times. The local availability of equipment such as a CT scanner significantly decreases wait times for Muskoka residents and visitors.
Patient comfort and convenience. The need to transport patients to better equipped hospitals in other areas is dramatically reduced if we are a well-equipped hospital.
Serves our unique population demographic and benefits all. Muskoka’s aging population is better served through up-to-date technology. Furthermore, the benefits of a well-equipped hospital apply not only to the 30,000 year-round residents, but also the 75,000 seasonal residents and 600,000 visitors.
Improves the community overall. Muskoka is a more attractive place to live for families, retirees and businesses when the community is supported by a hospital with up-to-date technology.

One example of what modern medical equipment can do.

Our CT scanner can detect tumours, injuries, haemorrhages, inflammatory conditions, and evidence of stroke and conditions such as appendicitis. There are some things only a CT scanner can do, such as show the cause of a stroke, and this information is critical for determining treatment.

The Picture Archiving Communication System (PACS)

The Picture Archiving Communication System (PACS) enables the complex digital information gathered by the CT scanner and other diagnostic imaging equipment to be transmitted over long distances. PACS allows for various experts in distant locations to view digital imaging information and provide treatment options. Other advantages of this system include reduced wait times and the elimination of the need for film, which requires storage, transportation by mail or courier, and can be lost or damaged.