Huntsville Hospital Prepares for Four-Hour Emergency Back-Up Power Outage

On Wednesday, February 26, 2025, the Huntsville District Memorial Hospital (HDMH) Site will experience a planned four-hour outage of the emergency back-up power system. The outage is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. and end by midnight.

The shutdown is necessary to connect the under-construction MRI Suite to emergency back-up power, an essential step in our exciting journey for Muskoka and area’s first MRI in the region.

During the four-hour outage, there will be no scheduled surgical procedures, planned obstetrical deliveries or ambulatory or outpatient tests, clinics or treatments at HDMH. Where it is safe to do so, ambulances will bypass the Huntsville Emergency Department, which will have limited capability and will be available for emergent care only. Increased traffic is anticipated at the South Muskoka Memorial Hospital (SMMH) Site in Bracebridge and the appropriate preparations are being made to manage the volumes.

Extensive planning and communication is occurring to ensure the comfort and safety of our current patients and mitigate any risks. During the outage, our care teams will remain focused on providing safe, high-quality care to our patients.

“An outage of this magnitude has involved tremendous planning to address all of the impacts and mitigate potential risks to ensure everyone’s safety,” explains Cheryl Harrison, President & CEO. “Because much of the hospital’s critical equipment is connected to emergency back-up power lines and will not function during the outage, we are urging as little traffic as possible at the HDMH Site during the outage window.”

MAHC appreciates the public’s understanding of this temporary change in service for an essential power upgrade.