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District Trestleboard

District Project No 2546

In support of the Orillia Soldiers Memorial Hospital Satellite
Dialysis Units and the New Hospital Ambulatory Care for
Collingwood General and Marine Hospital

Orillia Soldiers Memorial Regional Kidney Care Program

OSMH has been a proud Regional Centre for Renal Services since 1994. Prior to that, it operated as a satellite of Sunnybrook Hospital.

Today, our program provides both inpatient and outpatient programming, not only for the Orillia community, but for patients across Simcoe Muskoka.

The Regional Kidney Care Program of Simcoe Muskoka is based at OSMH and serves a very large geographic area. Our program reaches west to Meaford, north to Burk’s Falls, and east to Brechin. Care is provided both in Orillia and through our satellite dialysis units in:

o Collingwood

o Midland

o Huntsville

o And most recently, on Christian Island. This new dialysis hub opened in July 2024, making it the first community-based dialysis program of its kind in Ontario, providing hemodialysis for patients who need dialysis and live remotely.

The program is delivered by a multidisciplinary team that includes nephrologists, nurses, social workers, dietitians, pharmacists, and technologists. Together, this team ensures that patients and families receive comprehensive, compassionate kidney care closer to home.

Patients receive care through several different programs, depending on their individual needs. Programs include:

· Nephrologist offices for initial diagnosis of kidney failure. This clinic is by referral by family doctors or on inpatient discharge. This is often the first point of contact for patients.

· Multi-Care Kidney Clinics provide education, monitoring, and treatment planning. These clinics help patients and families understand their diseases, learn how to slow its progression, and make informed choices about their options, whether that means dialysis, a transplant, or comfort-focused care.

· Comfort focused kidney care- Is a stream of the multi-care kidney clinics, it is for those not wishing to go on dialysis. This stream of patients has full access to the multidisciplinary team, and care plans including palliative care resources and understanding patient values through to end-of-life

· Glomerular Nephritis Clinics- another stream of multi-care kidney clinics, is for those with this specific cause of kidney disease. These patients also have full access to the Multidisciplinary team, with three different levels of care and a focus on acute medication management.

· We also offer Home Dialysis programs, including both peritoneal dialysis and home hemodialysis. In these programs, patients and their families are trained to manage treatment safely at home. This reduces the burden of travel, and patients receive full equipment, supplies, and have access to daily nursing support covered by the programs.

While we are proud of the scope and quality of our program, we do face challenges. One of our greatest needs is related to infrastructure.

Our main dialysis department requires significant upgrades, including a new rooftop HVAC system, replacement windows, and general improvements to make the space more welcoming for patients and families.

Beyond infrastructure, our Kidney Care team also sees firsthand the financial challenges many of our patients face.

Food insecurity is a particular concern, and to help, our staff have created a food locker within the program. It is stocked and maintained entirely through their own donations and is available, with no questions asked to any patient in need.

The Foundation also manages a patient fund, which allows us to provide short-term assistance such as grocery or gas cards when no other funding source is available. (Funding Sources include Trillium benefits or small amount of Kidney Foundation dollars are received)

The reality is that being on dialysis is like having a part-time job. Patients must travel to and from appointments three to five days a week, and government subsidies are very limited.

Collingwood Hospital Rbuild

At Collingwood General & Marine Hospital (CGMH) brighter Tomorrows are
possible, because of the care we take today.

We are working to build the world-class facility that South Georgian Bay needs and
deserves. The new hospital will expand healthcare services for our fast-growing
community, improve patient care and privacy, attract top healthcare professionals,
and build on our strengths in education and training.
The new hospital will be built on a greenfield site on Poplar Sideroad in
Collingwood. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2028 and take approximately 4
to 5 years. The project is currently in the Detailed Planning stage.
As planning evolves, we look forward to a larger hospital that will better
accommodate our growing population. Some of the anticipated features are:
Expanded 24/7 Emergency Department
100% Private Inpatient Rooms with Individual Bathrooms
Greater Operating & Procedure Room Capacity
State-of-the-art Learning Facility
Increased Diagnostic Imaging (X-ray, CT scanning, ultrasound, MRI, etc.)

While the provincial government covers up to 90% of construction costs, this leaves
10% of construction costs, plus the costs of all medical equipment and furnishings,
to be funded through community support. This last responsibility, known as the
local share, belongs to the people who will benefit from the new hospital and the
families that will benefit for generations to come.
To ensure the new hospital is filled with state-of-the-art lifesaving technology, it is
imperative that we raise over $100 + million during the planning and construction
stages.
With your help, the new facility will be ready to support all of us when we need it
most.

Make cheques payable to the Masonic Foundation of Ontario Project No. 2546

Grand Master’s Project

Ronald McDonald House

Founded in 1982, Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada (RMHC Canada) is the national foundation of support for 12 RMHC Regional Chapters across Canada. Regional Chapters support families with sick children who struggle with the travel needed to access treatment. RMHC Canada reports that two thirds of families live outside of a city with a children’s hospital. It also states that families must travel an average of two and a half hours to access treatment for their child.

RMHC Canada runs two main programs: RMHC Houses and RMHC Family Rooms. Charity Intelligence estimates RMHC Canada spent $11.6m on its grants in 2024. It also reports an additional $4.7m in donor-designated grants. Both the grants and donor-designated grants go to the Regional Chapters. Ci did not find a breakdown of program spending in the charity’s annual report or on its website.

RMHC Houses are located near children’s hospitals. This proximity reduces stress from travel and keeps families closer to their children. RMHC Houses provide family bedrooms, kitchens, playrooms, and support services. There are 16 RMHC Houses in Canada.

RMHC Family Rooms are located inside children’s hospitals. They provide a medical-free location for families to relax and recharge. RMHC Family Rooms include kitchens, showers, lounge areas, and sometimes private sleeping rooms. There are 19 RMHC Family Rooms in Canada. RMHC Canada reports that there were 289,545 Family Room visits in 2024.

RMHC Canada reports that in total, there were 485,357 meals served in 2024. It also reports there were 164,059 overnight stays in the RMHC Houses and Family Rooms. The charity reports 28,920 families were served in 2024.

Please visit the Events page for our next C.H.I.P Event

This website is in support of the Georgian North Masonic Association, the various committees and events within the Association as well as the various lodges within the district. You’ll find many activities and events hosted within the district; links to those lodges that support their own website as well as other Masonic bodies outside the district.

Visitation being a cornerstone in masonry, it provides us with an opportunity to learn new insight, support our brethren with the work at hand, to strengthen old ties as well as the creation of new ones. We encourage all brethren visiting this site to gather the information available and to plan to join us as we travel throughout the district in support of our Masonic brethren.

Thank-you again for visiting our website and please be sure to check back regularly as posted information is updated regularly
Wages of a mason Masonic labour is purely a labour of love. He who seeks to draw wages in gold or silver, will be disappointed. The wages of a Mason are earned and paid for in their dealings with one another, sympathy begets sympathy, kindness begets kindness, helpfulness begets helpfulness and these are the wages of a Mason.

By Benjamin Franklin:

Freemasonry is the oldest and largest world wide fraternity dedicated to the Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of a Supreme Being. Although of a religious nature, Freemasonry is not a religion. It urges its members, however, to be faithful and devoted to their own religious beliefs.

In our Province the governing body is called the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Canada in the Province of Ontario. It is under the leadership of the Grand Master. He presides over the 53,000 Masons who belong to one or more of the 571 lodges in our jurisdiction. Each of these lodges is under the direction of a Worshipful Master.

Any man who becomes a Mason is taught a pattern for living; reverence – morality – kindness – honesty – dependability and compassion. He must be prepared to honour his country, uphold its laws and respect those in authority. He must be prepared to maintain honourable relations with others and be willing to share in Masonic activities. Freemasonry is a way of life. May the Great Architect of the Universe abide with all of you.