LETTER: ON SECOND THOUGHT, I’M RIGHT. ‘BIG’ HOSPITAL BRACEBRIDGE, ‘LITTLE’ HOSPITAL HUNTSVILLE, SAYS DOCTOR IRVINE

LETTER TO EDITOR:

To Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare.

I attended the meeting in Gravenhurst last Tuesday night at The Terry Fox Auditorium regarding the plans for the new hospitals in Muskoka.

My name is Tom Irvine and I am a retired family physician having worked in Gravenhurst from 1975 until I retired as a member of The Cottage Country Family Health Team.

I was an active staff member of South Muskoka Memorial Hospital throughout my years in family practice, which was a very important part of my job. My wife Joanne and I raised our family here and we still live in Gravenhurst.

I did speak at the meeting Tuesday evening as you may remember, but I felt I should follow up with an email to you regarding what I had to say and what I think now.

Gravenhurt Dr. Tom Irvine, here at the Feb. 6 meeting in Bracebridge, agrees with fellow physicians. But he had more to say, which he spelled out in his own words in this letter to the MAHC board.

I also pointed out, at the time, that I missed getting my name at the bottom of the ‘Doctors’ Letter,’ but I support everything said in that letter.

The meeting was informative and explained the planning group’s logic regarding lack of funding for two full sized hospitals, staffing concerns with obstetrics and the present stroke assessment unit being located in Huntsville . Your group feels that this justifies a full-size hospital in Huntsville, with obstetrics and a much smaller hospital in Bracebridge to replace the present full-size one there.

At the meeting, I clearly stated that I did not agree with the plan you have arrived at and asked you to reconsider the plan . I pointed out that if one simply looked at a map it is clear that the centre of Muskoka along Hwy. 11 is at the level of Hwy. 117.

I pointed out that Huntsville is in the north end of the district and the present plan would concentrate hospital inpatient and obstetrical care in the north of the district, which is not sensible for many of the reasons brought forward at the meeting  .

It was mentioned by you that this brought memories of discussing one big hospital at Port Sydney only — I was unable to point out when I had the mic — after that that Port Sydney is not the centre of Muskoka.  Hwy 117 is,  which is just above Bracebridge and still a significant distance from Port Sydney and a long way from Huntsville.

I should have gone one step further with my meeting comments and said it is very clear to me that if you go with one large hospital and one very small one that the large hospital should be in Bracebridge. And the small hospital should be in Huntsville.

I ask you to reconsider your plan on the basis of centralizing hospital care in Muskoka,  rather than overweighting hospital care in the north of Muskoka, which your present plan does.

My opinion and suggestions make sense geographically and also, in my opinion, makes sense based on population density if you look at a map.

Your present plan creates a situation where patients are at increased risk because of increased transfer distance. Family and friends visitor support for inpatients is compromised because of travel distance and cost of travel for many.

A public low cost subsidized bus system would become very expensive.

Retired Gravenhurst doctors Tom Irvine and Dave Hillyard were in early getting good seats for the showdown. They were all smiles beforehand, but were unavailable for comparative photos after they heard the presentation and Q&A.

If there are ever again thoughts of having only one hospital to replace the two it should be no further north than  Hwy. 117 to make geographic sense and provide sensible travel distances for everyone in Muskoka .

It seems to me that Gravenhurst and towns south, east and west of it are being ignored by your present plan.

I strongly feel you need to go back to the drawing board and rethink the plan .

If you decide to stick with one full hospital with obstetrics and one small “hospital” with no obstetrics, the choice based on travel and population density clearly indicates that the large hospital with obstetrics should be located in Bracebridge, not Huntsville.

The smaller one should be in Huntsville.

If part of the present reasoning is that Huntsville is the Stroke Assessment Centre, that can be easily solved by giving them an MRI and leave the assessment unit there.

The fact that they are a stroke assessment unit does not justify overweighting hospital care in the northern part of the district and compromising hospital care in south Muskoka.

The only other solution that makes sense to me is to gather very strong support and tell the government that we need two full size hospitals to service Muskoka properly and push them to provide funds.

I strongly recommend you change the present plan in order to more equitably provide hospital and obstetrical care throughout Muskoka.

Thank-you.

Tom Irvine

Retired Family Physician

Gravenhurst