Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare South Muskoka: Emergency Department - Bracebridge, Ontario

John Robertson

My experience was awful, I was told by triage nurse it would not be a long wait, the waiting room had only a handful of people and that made sense; but 7 hours later after being left in a room to rot, I left disgusted with this place, not having been seen by a physician. I will try Orilia or Barrie before I ever go back here.

Resma Rath

We went to the Emergency today as my kid broke his hand. While waiting in the waiting room, there was a couple who was waiting there for 4 hours. The gentleman is 81 years old in a wheelchair. He returned to home with hopeless experience. After few minutes a attendant came out looking for him. I informed her that person left. The reaction astonished me… . She said “ thats good, one less person to see today” … how insensitive. After all that we kept waiting for 1 more hour then someone tool us inside the hall and asked to sit in a chair. After standing there for an hour, some nice lady gave me a chair to sit. We kept waiting for next 2 hours without a doctor… then returned to home. I will be driving back to my home town with my kid. What kind of medical system are they running in here. All i needed was to take an x-ray to confirm and take an action. Why cant we educate the nurse practitioner to prescribe it? What can we do to improve the system and process.

Sam Merchant

Everyone in the ER was laughing and joking..every single one of them...!!!
I went into ER with chest pains and they did not let me out until 4 hrs later. I will not go into the details or name names, but I will tell you this. They talked to me, kept me awake, encouraged me to take deep breaths...to stay with them. For the next 4 hrs, different people, came at different times, to administer IVY, check vitals ensure my comfort, and share their common experiences with me. All with a smile, kindness, and genuine affection.

After 4 hrs and making sure I was good to go, I was asked to sit on a chair inside the ER to wait for my doctor's instructions, while they prepped for the next patient waiting outside. As I sat on the green chair, I noticed the laughter and joking and my eyes welled up with tears, because what they were doing was diverting patients' pain or stress of being in ER, into hope and encouragement, and bringing in levity to ease the mind.

I witnessed a young boy being brought in via ambulance, and just like that everyone was buzzing around like bees to attend to him, but in a well-choreographed manner. Everyone had a well-rehearsed role. The boy's blood was drawn amongst jokes, encouragement, and kindness...he did not even feel the needle go in as the job was done, and more encouragement ensued.

In case its not clear, that laughter and joking you may hear between the ER doors opening, is not them playing cards or sitting around mindlessly chatting away while making you wait outside.

Dear readers, please know this. These folks...not just in this ER, but in ERs around the world are there not just to earn a buck like you and me. There are much easier and more profitable ways to make money! You need to have an extraordinary amount of compassion and empathy for fellow mankind, and respect for human life to pursue this profession.
There is a male nurse in there who works in ER part-time, and has a full-time job as a fireman! What possesses these people to put their life in jeopardy all day long...all their life? During COVID every single person working in hospitals was saying unspoken goodbyes to their families every day, not knowing if they see the next sunrise.

What makes this young man choose to potentially fight fire every day and then work weekends in ER exposing himself fully? Answer - compassion for human life, empathy, and recognizing a man's ultimate duty in life is to help another man. I saw that this was the invocation for the entire team.

It's not for everyone. I do my part, but to witness human suffering day in and day out, is not for me - I confess, I do not have the stomach for it. And maybe it is not for you either.

So please know that whilst, you are waiting outside with potentially serious injuries, please believe that, there is someone inside someone who may have hours to live - And these folks are trying to save someone's child, mother, father sister, or brother.

A little pause before pressing the "send" button, is all that is needed to switch from impulsiveness to consciousness. Take that pause and you, maybe...just maybe decide to change your comment to portray a more kind and mindful tone.

You are not reviewing goods purchased on Amazon or reviewing a customer service front desk of your local big-box store.

To those who helped me, you know who are. There is no need to name you. You do not need public validation, as the look in your patient's eyes, the relief, and the kindness you bring to them, say and give you all you need.
Good health to all. Take care.

Leno Jeyaraj

Had very painful issue with my bowel and waited over 3 hours just to receive no care or treatment. They told me that I could come back later if I wanted to and made me sign a waiver just so they don’t get in trouble if anything worse should have happened to me.

I left because due to the very long wait I did not feel as I was a concern to these so called “health care workers”. I left in the same condition as I came in with.
Someone needs to be responsible for their very poor health service .

Gary Lyon

It is regrettable most Ontario hospitals do not ask for feedback although the radiology dept (diagnostic imaging) does but it is not a separate Google listing so I will include it here. I was diagnosed with a sprained quadricep muscle at the S Muskoka (Bracebridge) Hospital and given a rushed consult and low-priority ultrasound appointment for 2 weeks later. This was a mistake and S Muskoka gets 1 star. The ultrasound tech (Kim) at Huntville hinted to me that it looked more serious, requested a quick x-ray, sent me through emerg and 3 hrs later I got to speak to a doctor. So, 5 stars for Hunstville diagnostic imaging but they need a second tech who can do limbs. The emerg doctor, Adam McClure was straight to the point. It was serious and I needed to see an orthopaedic specialist quickly for possible surgery. This he arranged by phone for the next day in Orillia. The next day. See separate Soldiers Memorial Hosp (Orillia) review. Sure, I didn't like waiting 3 hours but the result was awesome.

Howard Black

Emergency was fast and efficient. I had a great doctor and had an ultrasound and diagnosis within hours after Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto missed my kidney stone a week earlier.

Dani B

The service in the Emergency room is very slow. Expect a wait time of 2 hours even if you are the only one in the waiting area. Maybe only one doctor is here. Just don't expect anything done quickly. On the plus side, the staff is very nice.

Matthew McCaskie

Friday night they have 1 doctor in emerg, no on call doctor incase it gets busy, this hospital is a joke.

Go to orillia if you have a choice.