MAHC PLAN FOR 139 BEDS IN HUNTSVILLE, ONLY 14 IN BRACEBRIDGE MAKES HOSPITALS ‘UNEQUAL,’ CLAIMS FORMER MPP WATERS
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
MUSKOKA — Former MPP Dan Waters claims Muskoka’s two new hospitals “won’t be equal.”
Both will have ERs, but Huntsville will have most of the beds at 139 and Bracebridge with just 14 beds would make it a “satellite,” he charges.
“It’s like they did to Burk’s Falls’ hospital.”
It “doesn’t make sense,” he told MuskokaTODAY.com, with more people living in south Muskoka. And “after Premier Doug Ford and MPP Graydon Smith promised two full-service hospitals.”
Waters said Smith recently told him he was unaware of the plan.
At his office yesterday, Smith was unavailable for comment and didn’t return a call request.
It’s an issue that is causing growing concern, said Waters, not only among the public, but with the hospitals staff as well as doctors working at SMMH and HDMH, waters said.
He said details are in a letter to “MAHC staff, credentialed staff, Volunteers & PFAC” by Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare’s “senior leadership team” and were presented in meetings with them this week, including later today.
HUNTSVILLE 139 BEDS, MRI AND 2 LABOUR SUITES
They show a “Made in Muskoka Healthcare” system will see Huntsville District Memorial Hospital’s “inpatient care would be expanded with 139 beds in single patient rooms, including 37 reactivation beds, 14 stroke rehabilitation beds, two labour and delivery suite, and a Level 3 ICU intensive care unit of 10 beds. Wraparound services include inpatient surgery and limited day surgery, and diagnostics including MRI.”
BRACEBRIDGE 14 BEDS, MOST OUTPATIENT, DAY SURGERY
As for the Bracebridge’s South Muskoka Memorial Hospital site, the letter says the new system “proposes a future service delivery model that seeks to concentrate most of the outpatient procedures (i.e. imaging, cardiorespiratory), day surgery and limited inpatient surgical procedures within a leading edge Ambulatory & Surgical Centre in Bracebridge projected to have more than 146,000 visits annually, including approximately 24,000 Emergency Dept. visits.
“This activity would be supported by 14 inpatient beds in single patient rooms for admissions that are not intended to surpass the 72-hour mark, and four ICU beds. Through an evolved medical coverage model, the Emergency Department would continue to be supported by respiratory therapists and other specialists. The model envisions surgical expansion including the possibility of orthopedic joint replacement in the future, closer to home.”
The letter adds “outpatient rehabilitation is proposed to move into a community setting, meanwhile enhanced programs for women’s, men’s and senior’ health would be explored not only within, but beyond our hospital walls through outreach in outlying communities such as Burk’s Falls and Gravenhurst through an integrated system.”
A press release says: “This innovative model considers projected future volumes and population data over the next 10 to 15 years to create two specialized hospitals that are not identical, each with Emergency Departments and inpatient beds, but with less duplication, as well as expanded and enhanced programs and services.”
The letter is the basis of a series of community “chats” MAHC is holding in-person and online public starting next week.
Waters is encouraging the public to attend and hear for themselves in what MAHC calls a “Capital Redevelopment Update: Innovative Service Delivery Model.”
The letter adds that “Feedback to date has reinforced this model needs an innovative healthcare transportation system between the two sites and our communities for patients and families, staff and materials. We also recognize the importance of investing in and enhancing partnerships with key healthcare partners to achieve the vision of the Made-in-Muskoka Healthcare system.”
The letter dated January 22 goes on to defend the moves saying: “It is important to recognize that healthcare is moving quickly toward greater ambulatory care, and hospitals of the future will not be defined by the number of beds nor by the square footage. Healthcare is striving for better integration of all parts of the system for the population’s health and wellness.
“We believe that this new approach will meet the needs of the population that we serve, that it will be more sustainable and affordable than our current approach, will improve provider experience and ensure our team members can work to the top of their scope and skillset, and allows us to explore new service areas that would not have been possible otherwise.”
Waters said he’s had “a lot” of people contact him and “come into my driveway” to express concerns.
The “Town Hall” meetings with staff were scheduled for January 24 at 3 p.m. and January 25 at 5:30 p.m., and are to be followed by “broad community engagement” starting the week of January 29.
MAHC’s letter concludes: “We will continue to provide updates as we get closer to our target to submit our proposal to the Ministry of Health in the spring.”
MAHC says the hospitals could be open in 10 years.
In the press release, MAHC president & CEO Cheryl Harrison said: “We are looking forward to engaging members of the communities we serve once again to talk about our future hospitals.”
It says over the course of the past year, 250 subject matter experts from the hospital team and key healthcare partners including representative public users have invested hundreds of hours sharing their hearts, their smarts and their experience in an iterative planning process to explore options and develop the best possible model of care to meet the needs of our communities and our healthcare providers.
“Throughout the planning journey, creative thinking has considered future projections of volumes, current realities and the changing healthcare landscape, technology advancements and opportunities to expand care locally — all with the goal of a model of care that is within budget and that will preserve and enhance the viability of programs and services in the most sustainable way.
“Input from our staff, physicians, midwives, patient experience partners and our communities has played a significant role in developing a new approach to care in the future through a Made-in-Muskoka Healthcare system,” says Harrison. “We’re excited to update our communities on the future of healthcare and how care will be provided. Please join us at a community chat nearest you.”
The 7 p.m. sessions next week are being held:
- Monday, January 29 Dwight Community Centre
- Tuesday, January 30 Gravenhurst Terry Fox Auditorium
- Wednesday, January 31 Armour, Ryerson & Burk’s Falls Arena Hall
- Thursday, February 1 Huntsville Active Living Centre
- Tuesday, February 6 Bracebridge Rotary Youth Centre
- Wednesday, February 7 Port Carling Community Centre
Virtual chats are also scheduled on Friday, February 2 at 10:30 a.m. and Monday, February 5 at 7 p.m. Please visit www.mahc.ca/communitychats to register to attend a virtual chat via Zoom, and for more information.
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