When Mary Lynch-Ficioris and her husband Bill relocated to Marmora from Mississauga a few years ago, Campbellford Memorial Hospital (CMH) quickly became their local hospital – and they’re grateful it is.
“We have both had to go to CMH a number of times for cardiac issues, and Bill and I have been fortunate to have some pretty awesome care through Campbellford,” said Mary. “The doctors and health professionals here know you. I have never felt like a number—and the team is very informative, very caring and the doctors don’t mind taking a moment to discuss things with you.”
Mary appreciates the smaller-community healthcare experience, but she also knows first-hand how a patient can benefit from a campus of care through her time living in Mississauga. Portions of CMH are nearly 70 years old and have had minimal upgrades since it was first built. The Hospital is currently in the process of applying for a capital planning grant to redevelop the hospital as part of a campus of care that would create one location for a continuum of health services in Campbellford. The redevelopment project would bring together the hospital, long-term care, affordable senior housing and services, mental health, primary care, and other healthcare services.
“Everyone knows the shortcomings to the hospital facilities because it was built in a time gone by when things like private rooms, for example, were not of necessity,” shared Mary. “Right now, if COVID hits our hospital, the Inpatient Unit is basically shut down because of the inability to isolate patients.”
CMH is currently facing more than $25 million in facility repairs and replacements that will be needed over the next 25 years (and this amount is expected to grow). The pandemic has also underscored infection prevention and control gaps (e.g. no negative pressures areas, limited private rooms, and insufficient air filtration) that have stymied the flow of admissions during outbreaks because of the inability to cohort patients. Finally, the hospital faces ongoing capacity pressures in the Emergency Department and on its Medical Wing.
“Because the building is so old, we end up putting more money into trying to keep up with the repairs instead of making investments in health care,” said Mary, who is also a member of the Hospital’s Patient and Family Advisory Council.
“We have the care factor. We just need to combine the care factor with phenomenal facilities.”
A new hospital as part of a campus of care could also help strengthen the community’s physician recruitment efforts by providing a modern facility that has the adequate capacity, and optimal environment (e.g. increased natural lighting, air filtration) for high-quality patient care.
“A new hospital as part of a campus of care would help Campbellford blossom into a community with premier healthcare facilities,” reflected Mary. “And I hope a bigger and newer facility would help us attract more physicians permanently for better local health care.”
Currently, CMH’s application for a capital planning grant to build a campus of care is pending approval from the Ministry of Health.