Muskokans will soon have a closer healthcare option for cardiac issues. Work on the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, which is in Barrie, is half done. The closest cardiac centre right now is in Newmarket. RVH officials say Muskokans can’t get to it within 90 minutes of a heart attack, which is the time limit to receive the gold standard of care.
Cardiologist and Medical Director of the cardiovascular program at RVH,  Dr. Stephen Pizzale, says around 3,600 patients from North Simcoe and Muskoka have to travel every year, and this new centre will be a game changer for those patients.
President and CEO of RVH, Janice Skot, says the services will be gradually introduced once the facility is open later this year. She says they will start with diagnostic angiograms, which uses dye that an x-ray can see to check for narrow or blocked coronary arteries. After that, the hospital will start doing angioplasty procedures to open blocked arteries.
RVH expects it will do over 1,200 procedures within the first year.