Getting Care on the Island
Where to go for care when there is no bridge — the medical center's winter days, the 911 route to its emergency room out of hours, the hospital and the pharmacy across the Straits, and how you actually get to each one.
If it's life-threatening, call 911
On an island with no bridge, where to go for care is partly a question about the boat. The medical center on Market Street handles everyday problems and has an emergency room with a doctor on call around the clock — but it is open weekdays only, and it closes on Wednesdays through the winter. Anything it cannot do is across the Straits. Pick what you need and this page will tell you where to go and how you get there.
Something serious, right now
Chest pain or trouble breathing · Heavy bleeding, or signs of a stroke · A bad fall, or someone who will not wake up · A baby arriving
Calling 911 on the island brings the ambulance, and it is also how you reach the medical center's emergency room outside its opening hours. If you need to cross the Straits, 911 arranges that too — Mackinac Marine Rescue, the city's own 31-foot boat, handles medical evacuations, and a flight can be arranged where one is needed.
Go here first
911
The island's ambulance, fire and police — and the way to the doctor out of hours.
911Answered at every hour of the day, all year.
I need to be seen today
A cut that may need stitches · A fever that will not shift · A sprain, or a possible break · An infection getting worse
If you are not sure whether you are well enough to cross, call before you plan a boat. The medical center's number is answered in hours and 911 at any hour, and both are answered by people whose job is to work that out with you.
Go here first
Mackinac Island Medical Center
The island's doctor's office, with an emergency room, x-ray and a lab.
while it is open — weekdays, and not Wednesdays from 1 November
(906) 847-35827474 Market Street, Mackinac Island, MI 4975723 April to 31 October: Monday to Friday, 9am–4pm. 1 November to 1 May: weekdays 10am–3pm, closed Wednesdays. Out of hours, call 911.
Or
911
The island's ambulance, fire and police — and the way to the doctor out of hours.
out of hours, or on a winter Wednesday — the medical center's emergency room is reached by calling 911
911Answered at every hour of the day, all year.
Or
Mackinac Straits Hospital, St. Ignace
The nearest hospital, and the nearest emergency room that never closes.
if you need an emergency room that is open and staffed at every hour, and you can travel
(906) 643-85851140 North State Street, St. Ignace, MI 49781Ferry across the Straits from the island to St. Ignace then across St. Ignace to 1140 North State StreetEmergency room open 24 hours. Fast Care walk-in 10am–7pm, seven days a week. On-site clinics Monday to Friday, 8am–4:30pm.
Surgery, a scan, or a specialist
An operation, or a joint replacement · A scan or an x-ray the island cannot do · A specialist clinic appointment · Cancer care, or heart care
Both of these are a planned journey rather than an emergency one, so book the appointment and the boat together, and ring the department to check the day before you travel.
Go here first
Mackinac Straits Hospital, St. Ignace
The nearest hospital, and the nearest emergency room that never closes.
for surgery, imaging and most visiting specialists
(906) 643-85851140 North State Street, St. Ignace, MI 49781Ferry across the Straits from the island to St. Ignace then across St. Ignace to 1140 North State StreetEmergency room open 24 hours. Fast Care walk-in 10am–7pm, seven days a week. On-site clinics Monday to Friday, 8am–4:30pm.
Or
McLaren Northern Michigan, Petoskey
The regional referral hospital, and where the island's serious cases usually end up.
for trauma, stroke care, and the specialist services St. Ignace does not have
(800) 248-6777416 Connable Avenue, Petoskey, MI 49770Off the island by boat or by plane then by road, south past Mackinaw City to Petoskey
A prescription, or something from a pharmacy
A new prescription filled · A repeat prescription · Something from behind the counter
There is no pharmacy on Mackinac Island. The hospital pharmacy in St. Ignace delivers prescriptions for pick-up dockside here, so this is usually a phone call rather than a crossing.
Go here first
Straits Area Pharmacy, St. Ignace
The nearest pharmacy — and it will send a prescription over to the island dock.
to fill it — they will send it over for pick-up at the dock
(906) 643-72981140 North State Street, St. Ignace, MI 49781 — ground floor of the hospital, near the emergency entranceThe pharmacy's own stated temporary hours: weekdays 9am–5:30pm, weekends and holidays 10am–2pm.
Or
Mackinac Island Medical Center
The island's doctor's office, with an emergency room, x-ray and a lab.
for the prescription itself
(906) 847-35827474 Market Street, Mackinac Island, MI 4975723 April to 31 October: Monday to Friday, 9am–4pm. 1 November to 1 May: weekdays 10am–3pm, closed Wednesdays. Out of hours, call 911.
A mental-health crisis
Thoughts of suicide or self-harm · Someone in crisis who needs to talk to somebody now
988 is answered at any hour and you can text it as well as call it.
Go here first
988 — Michigan Crisis and Access Line
A mental-health and suicide crisis line, answered at any hour.
98824 hours a day, every day.
Or
911
The island's ambulance, fire and police — and the way to the doctor out of hours.
if someone is in immediate danger
911Answered at every hour of the day, all year.
How far each place is
Leaving from Main Street, Mackinac Island. None of these is a drive.
| Place | What it is | Getting there |
|---|---|---|
| Mackinac Straits Hospital, St. Ignace | The nearest hospital, and the nearest emergency room that never closes. | Ferry across the Straits from the island to St. Ignace then across St. Ignace to 1140 North State Street |
| McLaren Northern Michigan, Petoskey | The regional referral hospital, and where the island's serious cases usually end up. | Off the island by boat or by plane then by road, south past Mackinaw City to Petoskey |
Motor vehicles have been banned here since the village council acted in July 1898, and the island has no bridge. Everything off the island is a ferry crossing or a flight, so this page gives you the stages instead of a drive time.
There are no drive times on this page because there is nothing here you can drive to. Each off-island place carries the crossing instead, stage by stage, using only the times the operators themselves publish. None of those stages includes the wait for the next sailing, which is usually the longest part of the journey — so check the boat before you set off.
What each place does — and does not do
911
Emergency number · The island's ambulance, fire and police — and the way to the doctor out of hours.
Mackinac Island EMS is part of Cheboygan Life Support Systems, and the island has its own ambulance. In a real emergency let 911 arrange the crossing — do not go and stand at the dock.
911
- Phone
- 911
- Hours
- Answered at every hour of the day, all year.
Can help with
- Sends the island's ambulance, fire department or police
- Reaches the medical center's emergency room when the medical center itself is shut
- Calls out Mackinac Marine Rescue, the city's own 31-foot boat, which handles medical evacuations across the Straits
- Arranges a flight off the island when one is needed
Mackinac Island Medical Center
Clinic · The island's doctor's office, with an emergency room, x-ray and a lab.
Dr Gregory Hessler is the physician listed for the center. The health system's own page gives both season's hours and they overlap at the end of April, so the week either side of 1 May is worth a phone call. Anything the island cannot treat means a crossing.
Mackinac Island Medical Center
- Phone
- (906) 847-3582
- Hours
- 23 April to 31 October: Monday to Friday, 9am–4pm. 1 November to 1 May: weekdays 10am–3pm, closed Wednesdays. Out of hours, call 911.
- Website
- mackinacstraitshealth.org
Can help with
- Walk-in care for everyday problems that are not life-threatening
- X-rays and lab tests
- Primary care appointments
- An emergency room, with a doctor on call around the clock — out of hours you reach it by calling 911
- Medical clearance visits for an e-bike permit, by appointment
Cannot do
- Stay open overnight, at a weekend, or on a Wednesday between November and May
- Fill a prescription — there is no pharmacy on the island
Mackinac Straits Hospital, St. Ignace
Hospital · The nearest hospital, and the nearest emergency room that never closes.
Mackinac Straits Hospital, St. Ignace
- Phone
- (906) 643-8585
- Hours
- Emergency room open 24 hours. Fast Care walk-in 10am–7pm, seven days a week. On-site clinics Monday to Friday, 8am–4:30pm.
- Website
- mackinacstraitshealth.org
Getting there
- Ferry across the Straits from the island to St. Ignace
- across St. Ignace to 1140 North State Street
The boat is the journey. Arnold Transit's winter service from St. Ignace begins on 1 November and runs for as long as the ice is not too thick; when it stops, the air services from the island airport run all year by reservation. Check the sailing before you set off rather than after.
Can help with
- An emergency room open at every hour
- Surgery, including knee, hip and shoulder replacement and a robotic spine programme
- Visiting general surgery, eye surgery, orthopaedics and ear, nose and throat clinics
- Imaging and laboratory work
- Oncology, pain management, wound care and rehabilitation
- Straits Area Pharmacy, on the ground floor
- Long-term care
McLaren Northern Michigan, Petoskey
Hospital · The regional referral hospital, and where the island's serious cases usually end up.
The number above is McLaren's published main line rather than a direct line to a department.
McLaren Northern Michigan, Petoskey
- Phone
- (800) 248-6777
- Website
- mclaren.org
Getting there
- Off the island by boat or by plane
- by road, south past Mackinaw City to Petoskey
In an emergency you do not arrange this journey — 911 does, by boat or by air. Travelling to a booked appointment means a sailing or a flight and then a drive, so build the day around the boat and ring the department before you leave.
Can help with
- A Level II trauma centre
- A certified primary stroke centre
- Cardiology, cancer care, orthopaedics and neurosciences
- A 202-bed referral centre for 22 counties of northern Michigan
Straits Area Pharmacy, St. Ignace
Pharmacy · The nearest pharmacy — and it will send a prescription over to the island dock.
There is no pharmacy on the island, so this is the one to ring. The hours above are the ones the pharmacy itself marks as temporary and until further notice, so confirm them on the phone before you count on an afternoon.
Straits Area Pharmacy, St. Ignace
- Phone
- (906) 643-7298
- Hours
- The pharmacy's own stated temporary hours: weekdays 9am–5:30pm, weekends and holidays 10am–2pm.
- Website
- mackinacstraitshealth.org
Can help with
- Fills prescriptions and delivers them for pick-up dockside on Mackinac Island
- Open seven days a week
988 — Michigan Crisis and Access Line
Phone line · A mental-health and suicide crisis line, answered at any hour.
988 — Michigan Crisis and Access Line
- Phone
- 988
- Hours
- 24 hours a day, every day.
Can help with
- Call or text
- Answered around the clock
What has changed
From 1 November the medical center shuts on Wednesdays
The winter boat starts on 1 November
Official pages
This page says where services are and how far away they are. It cannot tell you how serious your problem is, and it is not medical advice. If you are unsure, call — the numbers here are answered by people whose job is to work that out with you.
Hours, phone numbers and the services a place offers do change, sometimes at short notice. Call before you set off, and treat the official page as the last word.
About these tools
Town Tools builds free, public tools for Mackinac Island and towns around the world. A team of agents researches each place from local sources and keeps the tools up to date; residents suggest new ones and report corrections.