The Huntsville Hospital is offering orthopedic surgery for the first time in more than a decade.
The hospital approved five surgeons to perform orthopedic procedures such as arthroscopy, in which a small camera is inserted through the skin to diagnose joint problems, and hardware removal, in which doctors take out implants used to mend bones. The five doctors are not permanently on staff, but will have designated days where they are on-site.
Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare President and CEO Natalie Bubela says the Huntsville Hospital has not offered orthopedic procedures since before she joined the organization in 2011. She says this addition to the hospital will make it easier for people to get the help they need.
“By expanding our surgical offering, we will be able to hopefully decrease some of the surgical wait times in the broader North Simcoe Muskoka region related to orthopedics,” says Bubela. “People will not have to travel out of the region for these types of procedures, they can have their care closer to home.”
According to Bubela, offering these procedures would not be possible without the Huntsville Hospital Foundation funding the necessary equipment.
“Often what’s key to being able to expand services such as this is the capital equipment requirements that go along with it,” says Bubela. “My hat’s off to the Huntsville Hospital Foundation for helping make this a reality, and to their generous donors for their support.”