NEWS RELEASE
GEORGIAN BAY GENERAL HOSPITAL
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Over the past several years, Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) has thoughtfully expanded its birthing program to meet the growing needs of its community, which has included opening both a physician-led prenatal clinic, as well as offering enhanced midwifery care through Midland Midwives By the Bay.
While midwives have had privileges at GBGH since 2015, their popularity among obstetrics patients has been steadily increasing, as has the number of midwives practising at the hospital. Midland Midwives By the Bay has increased from three to 10 providers since 2018, all of whom are dedicated to providing local prenatal, labour/birth and postpartum care at GBGH and in the community. The expertise of the midwives is an asset to the hospital and has helped bring mothers from the community to GBGH to receive their care close to home.
“The demand for our services at the Midland Midwives By the Bay has been steadily increasing, and we are fully committed to growing the local care we offer, whether it be through home births or exclusively at GBGH,” shares Lynne Marie Culliton, lead midwife at GBGH and registered midwife with Midland Midwives By the Bay. “We prioritize collaboration with GBGH nurses and physicians to comprehensively address the needs of expectant people throughout every stage of childbirth. Additionally, we’ve just launched an Indigenous midwifery program, offering Indigenous clients the choice to receive care from an Indigenous midwife. This program also provides access to a variety of culture-based supports throughout their perinatal journey with us.”
Enhancing care beyond midwifery services, in June 2022 GBGH opened a physician-led prenatal clinic to provide high-quality, standardized care for pregnant women in north Simcoe. The clinic runs once per week and is available to women — with or without a primary care provider — to ensure all have access to comprehensive prenatal care.
“Local women who were travelling to other areas of the region for prenatal care can now receive it at their community hospital,” says Dr. Chevy Moreau, chief of obstetrics and an obstetrician-gynecologist (OBGYN). “Anything we can do to remove some of the unknown or uncertainty when giving birth is a benefit to patients. It’s comforting for mothers to have their prenatal care here so when it’s time to deliver, they’re not stepping into a place they’ve never been before. Having consistent care in a familiar setting from the early stages of pregnancy to delivery contributes to a positive birthing experience.”
Dr. Moreau played a significant role in bringing that clinic to the hospital, in addition to helping with the overall growth of the program since his arrival in fall 2021. Dr. Moreau also sees patients one day per week through a gynecology clinic run in GBGH’s ambulatory care department. The prenatal clinic and gynecology clinic received more than 1,250 patient visits in 2023, making them the second-highest-volume clinic GBGH offers.
GBGH plans to increase the frequency of both clinics once the hospital recruits a second OBGYN, which is actively underway.
To familiarize the community and prospective patients with the birthing unit and program, GBGH has released two new videos — a birthing unit tour and About the GBGH Birthing Experience. They can be found through the hospital’s website, gbgh.on.ca/programs-and-services/obstetrical-unit (with French subtitles in the description box below the video).
In 2024, the GBGH Foundation is launching the GBGH Family Tree, where families can recognize a special baby’s birth by making a donation to the growing birthing and obstetrics program at the hospital. Babies will be recognized with their name, birth date and photo on a dedicated digital screen in the hospital’s main lobby. More information about the program can be found at gbghf.ca/born-at-gbgh.
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