The Collingwood General & Marine Hospital was one of the few hospitals in the area (and on the Lake) that would accept sailors as patients because of the prevalence of communicable diseases among them. Collingwood was known as a port town and our major industry was as a shipbuilding industrial centre so having good medical care was very important. The word "Marine" indicated these sailors were welcome for treatment.

All members of both the Board of Trustees (the G&M Hospital's Board) and the Foundation Board are community volunteers and as such, do not receive any payments. These outstanding community members commit to making our Hospital better through their generous donation of time, talent and stewardship on behalf of anyone who may require healthcare in our community.

Click here to find a list of area doctors who are now accepting new patients. In the meantime, you may also visit the After Hours Clinic.

Orthopaedic Surgeons - Dr. Koo and Dr. McCall
General Surgeons - Dr. Akinyele & Dr. Lisi
Obstetricians & Gynaecologists - Dr. Yeates and Dr. O'Toole
Radiologists - Dr. O'Brien
Internal Medicine - Dr. Macfarlane and Dr. Goode
Sports Medicine - Dr. Bowman

Many specialists offer appointments through our Ambulatory Care Clinics. Some of the specialists include Paediatricians, ENT (Ears, Nose, and Throat) Surgeons, General Surgeons, plus others who offer clinics through our Hospital.

To make an appointment to see one of the specialists, usually you contact your family physician first to get a referral. However, to see Dr. Bowman for a sports medicine consultation, you can call his office directly at 705.444.5303.

Mammogram - Contact your family doctor for a referral to obtain a mammogram. Mammograms are done at the hospital in the Diagnostic Imaging Department.

Bone Density Scan - Contact your family doctor for a referral to obtain a bone density scan. Scans are done at the hospital in the Diagnostic Imaging Department.

A cast - Casts can be arranged through the Emergency Department or through the Diagnostic Imaging Department at the hospital once it is determined a cast is required for treatment.

Physiotherapy - The Hospital does have a physiotherapy clinic, located on the lower level. A requisition is required for treatment through your family doctor.

X-Ray - The Diagnostic Imaging Department of the Hospital can arrange for X-Rays to be taken, however a requisition is required from your family doctor or a referring physician.

Ultrasound - Ultrasounds can be arranged through your family doctor and once you have your requisition, your doctor will make an appointment and call you with the time and date. The Diagnostic Imaging Department will conduct the ultrasound test at our Hospital.

Blood Tests - The G&M Hospital conducts blood tests for patients that have been admitted to Hospital. There are laboratories located in our community for blood tests; simply look up labs in the yellow pages of your local telephone directory.

If you are not insured under a Canadian hospital insurance plan, you are required to pay for your care. The G&M Hospital accepts all major credit cards and debit cards. You will be asked to provide a credit card at the Emergency Department registration desk. If you have travel insurance, the hospital will provide an official receipt which you can use for reimbursement through your travel company.

There is no charge for plaster casts, however fiberglass casts are not covered by OHIP, therefore there is a charge for this type of cast.

Patient, visitor and handicapped parking are available in the main parking lot, located on Moberly Street, just off Hume Street (between Peel and Raglan). Patients coming to Emergency, who are not well enough to walk from the parking lot, may access the Hospital directly off Hume Street (between Moberly and Raglan).

Please pay for your parking token in the lobby of the Hospital. There is a machine right outside the Emergency Department and adjacent to the Visitor Information Desk where you can buy a token for $6.00. If you require change, please see the cashier, who is located right beside the token machine. Once you have your token, keep it handy to deposit in the machine at the parking gate. The gate will lift once the token is deposited.

Special arrangements can be made for monthly parking passes with the cashier, if you expect to be visiting a patient over an extended period of time.

The Collingwood General & Marine Hospital (G&M) have implemented strict visiting restrictions to reduce the spread of the H1N1 and seasonal flu virus among patients and staff.

In consultation with the G&M Outbreak Management Team (including physicians, nursing, pharmacy, lab, housekeeping and infection control staff and representation from Public Health) the following visiting restrictions are in place:

• No visitors under the age of 18 will be allowed.
• Visitors to Obstetrical patients will be limited to only one labour support person (both during and after delivery) who must be in good health.
• All other hospitalized patients will be allowed only one visitor at a time at the discretion of the primary nurse or healthcare provider.
• Visiting hours (1 to 8 pm daily) will be strictly enforced.
• Those coming to the G&M to visit or for diagnosis and treatment must perform hand sanitization upon entry and exit of Hospital.
• Patients coming to the Emergency Department with a cough and/or fever will be asked to put on a mask.

"Individuals 18 years of age and under are currently the population most prevalently presenting with H1N1. We are restricting this population from visiting and limiting visitors to one per patient to limit the exposure of our patients to this virus," says Norah Holder, G&M, VP of Patient Care and Chief Nursing Officer. "We believe this will greatly reduce the risk of our inpatient population coming in contact with visitors who have H1N1 though not yet exhibiting signs and symptoms."

Outpatient services (including Diagnostic Imaging and Day Surgery) remain open at this time, however those who are ill for any reason are being asked to refrain from coming to the G&M for anything other than emergency care. The G&M Hospital is in process of immunizing all staff, physicians and volunteers to protect against the H1N1 virus and seasonal flu virus. H1N1 and seasonal flu shots are not available to the general public at the Hospital. Community members are encouraged to be vaccinated at their nearest local clinic and to practice diligent hand sanitization. Information on clinic locations and times is available at www.simcoemuskokahealth.org.

Planning for discharge begins at the time of patient admission. Your health care team, in collaboration with patient and family, will determine when the patient is ready to go home. Normal discharge time is 11AM and patients are encouraged to arrange for a family member or friend to pick them up by the discharge time so that other patients requiring admission can be accommodated.

The G&M Hospital is located at 459 Hume Street, Collingwood, ON. To access a map, detailed directions or other navigational aids, please click here.

A special service is available and offered through our Hospital's website that allows patients to receive emails from family and friends during their hospital stay. For further information, please click here.

Written correspondence can be addressed to the patient (and room number) in care of the General & Marine Hospital, 459 Hume Street, Collingwood, ON L9Y 1W9.

To reach a patient by telephone, please contact our main switchboard at 705.445.2550.

The Hospital's Human Resources Department manages all information relating to staff positions and career opportunities. Please visit the Careers section of our website to see openings for positions at our Hospital (click here) and find detailed information on how to forward a resume or how to complete a job application form. Alternately you may email us at this address.

The G&M Hospital welcomes community members as volunteers at our Hospital. Please visit the Volunteers section of our website by clicking here to find out about volunteer opportunities or requirements for volunteering at the G&M Hospital or feel free to contact our Manager of Volunteer Services, Sadie Nixon at 705.445.8615. Alternately, you may email her at this address.

Individuals wishing to send flowers or other gift items to a patient in our Hospital may click here to make the necessary arrangements. In addition, individuals can support the G&M Hospital by purchasing gift items from the Hospital Gift Shop, located in the main lobby area.

Flowers and gift items received at the G&M Hospital will be delivered to the patient care unit by the delivery service or a Hospital volunteer. Please note that we cannot forward or re-deliver gift or floral items to a patient once they have been discharged from the G&M Hospital. Please ensure your gift recipient is still at our Hospital before arranging delivery.

In addition, for the protection of patients, staff and visitors who may have a latex sensitivity/allergy, the G&M Hospital does not permit latex products to be brought into our Hospital. Latex balloons also create a safety risk to children should a piece accidentally be inhaled. Foil balloons are an acceptable alternative to latex balloons.

There are many ways to support your community hospital or make a donation to the Hospital Foundation, including making a safe and secure online donation (click here). For additional information, please contact the G&M Hospital Foundation at (705) 444-8645 or Email: Click Here

The G&M Hospital offers two options for individuals to purchase food and beverage items:

The gift shop, located in the lobby, offers coffee, tea, drinks, soups, sandwiches, fruit and baked goods at reasonable prices. Café tables are situated just outside the gift shop for the comfort and convenience of customers. Gift shop hours are:

Monday to Friday: 9 - 11 am, 12 noon - 1:30pm
Weekends and Holidays: 9:15 - 10:15 am, 12 noon - 1:15 pm

The Hospital cafeteria, located directly below the lobby on the lower level, (accessible by elevators just past the gift shop in the lobby), is open to the public during regular hours, which are:

Monday to Friday: 9:00 am - 10:45 am and 11:30 am -1:15 pm Weekends: 9:15 am -10:15 am and noon- 1:15 pm

The cafeteria offers a variety of hot meals, sandwiches and snacks. There is an outside patio just off the cafeteria for use during pleasant weather.

The Hospital does not have a bank machine on the premises, however all main banking institutions have ATM's and they are all located on the main street of Collingwood, Hurontario Street, which is close to the Hospital.

The G&M Hospital does have a pharmacy located on the premises for all inpatients (admitted patients). There is a pharmacy located directly behind the Hospital in the Erie Medical Building, which can be accessed off Moberly Street, adjacent to the Hospital. Alternately, there are a number of pharmacies in the Town of Collingwood.

The G&M Hospital strongly encourages both written and verbal feedback as it helps us improve in delivering the right care to our community. Please feel free to speak directly with the manager or leader of your health care team or contact the
VP of Patient Services, Norah Holder at:

VP, Patient Services & Chief Nursing Officer
Collingwood General & Marine Hospital
459 Hume Street
Collingwood, ON L9Y 1W9
Telephone (705) 445-2550 ext. 8202
Email Click Here

Every effort will be made to honour requests for one family member or support person to stay overnight with their loved one, provided it is deemed to be in the best interests of the patient. Family members who wish to stay overnight should advise a member of the health care team as early in the day as possible. Although every effort will be made to make overnight guests as comfortable as possible, limited space and resources do not allow for home-like accommodations and supports to be offered (i.e. comfortable sleeping arrangements, access to showers, etc.)

The Town of Collingwood has bus transportation available. Schedules, routes and fares may be accessed by clicking here.

Cell phones may be used in non-patient care areas such as lobbies, offices, cafeteria and waiting rooms. If you choose to use your cell phone, please be considerate of patients, families and members of the health care team.

The G&M Hospital maintains a currently list of personnel and volunteers to act as interpreters for our patients and families. For further information, please speak with a member of the health care team or contact the main switchboard at 705.445.2550.

Services/items not covered by OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Program) include:

• Ambulance transportation (some exceptions apply)
• Cast sandals
• Fiberglass casts
• Soft collars
• Knee immobilizers
• Aerochambers
• Shoulder immobilizers
• Air Cast foam walkers
• Clavicle (collar bone) braces
• Ankle splints
• Crutches
• Preferred accommodations such a private, joined and semi-private rooms.

In addition to these uninsured services and items listed above, Canadian residents who do not provide a valid Provincial Health Card number and residents from other countries (including the USA) will be charged by the Hospital for use of the Emergency Department facilities and by the individual physician for the cost of medical services incurred. Physicians are not employees of the G&M Hospital and do bill separates for the services they provide.

For further information on insured services/items and payment options, please click here.

In preparation for the possibility that you may need to have a Power of Attorney, please ensure you provide a copy of the document, Power of Attorney for Personal Care, to a member of your health care team. This document will be included with your medical records. Please ensure that your next of kin, who may be placed in the position of making the final decision about your end of life, including organ donation, will follow your wishes.

Currently in the Town of Collingwood, Town of Wasaga Beach, Clearview Township and the Town of the Blue Mountains, there are no Family Physicians accepting new patients. We understand this is difficult for our community and suggest the Collingwood After Hours Clinic, located at 186 Erie St., Suite 100, until you find a Family Physician.

The After Hours Clinic is open M-F 6-9 p.m. and Sat -Sun. 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

If you need emergency care, please visit our Emergency Department, located at 459 Hume Street in Collingwood. As new information becomes available we will update our website and phone line 705.445.2500 ext. 8190

Patients requiring copies of their medical records are asked to call the Health Information Department Monday - Friday, between 8am and 4pm at 445.2550 extension 8209 prior to coming into the Hospital. Staff will ensure that the appropriate documentation is available for your collection.

Every effort is made to ensure a wheelchair is available at the main entrance to the Hospital, including the Emergency Department. Should you arrive and none are available, please speak to the Visitor Information Desk, located in the front lobby of the main entrance (off Hume Street).

If you need assistance in transferring in and out of your car or to/from an appointment within the Hospital, please try and ask a family member or friend to accompany you to the Hospital. Once inside the Hospital, you can request escort assistance at the Visitor Information Desk in the front lobby.

Yes, pastoral care services are available to patients and families. Spiritual care is an integral part of the care and services provided to our patients and families.

Local clergy or their approved designate visit members of their faith group regularly or upon request.

Local clergy also participate in a voluntary on-call roster making pastoral care services available 24 hours per day for all patients and families.

Patients who wish to have a clergy member visit them while in Hospital are requested to inform the Admitting Department of their choice of clergy.